The Cursed Geisha
by wingedmercury
Summary: He's beautiful, in the same way that predatory animals are beautiful—dark, mysterious. Dangerous. Only this time, instead of being the predator, Sasuke will learn what it means to be prey. SasuHina, AU
1. Trembling Like Leaves

This fic is an Xmas gift to all my "Better Off Dead" fans, and especially to my beta, Uchiha.s, who rocks my world. SasuHina FTW:)

What started off as a one-shot is going to be 3-4 chapters, and rated M, for later material. SasuHina, AU, tralala.

Enjoy. And happy holidays!

:)

* * *

The Cursed Geisha

Chapter One: _Trembling Like Leaves_

_He's beautiful, in the same way that predatory animals are beautiful—dark, mysterious. Dangerous. Only this time, instead of being the predator, Sasuke will learn what it means to be prey._

Hinata regards her cool reflection in the mirror, applies more white powder to her cheeks. This is her first solo job as a full-fledged geisha—her first mission, too—and the pressure makes her palms sweat. There is no room for error. Orochimaru's words whisper in her head, like the breeze sighing through the cherry blossom trees outside.

_Make Uchiha Sasuke your danna. _

Hinata shivers. Not many geisha in Konoha obtain a man as their danna, or patron. But she is different. She is one of the few geisha who are native to Konoha, and thus, considered more trustworthy; though she is not. However, even for Hinata, this will be no easy task. It is a scant few weeks since her debut, and it is early in her career to be landing a danna—and not just any danna, at that.

She finishes rounding out the curves of her lips with red paint, and spares one last look in the mirror. Wide, white eyes stare out from a white face, arching with two black brows and a slash of lips that curve like a red crescent moon. Her pale face is framed by hair so waxy, it looks lacquered. She stares at herself without moving or breathing, then she turns away from the mirror, wiping her clammy palms on a towel. She smoothes down her pale pink kimono, traces the golden embroidery with shaking fingers.

If she can do this, she will finally be able to buy her freedom from Orochimaru. She will shed her layers of fine kimono like a snake discarding its skin and she will be herself again.

She strides out of the bathroom with a confidence she doesn't feel, her zori clicking faintly on the pavement. The sun shines weakly, making the snow sparkle where it hangs on the cherry blossom trees, now bearing their first tender blossoms.

"Oi! Misaki-chan, there you are!" At first, Hinata doesn't respond, so caught up in her thoughts that her geisha name slides off of her like water on oiled cloth. When Naruto takes her arm, she smiles tightly as he whisks her off to the blossom viewing party. Every time he says her name, Misaki, she remembers her mother's dying words, sighed with stale breath into Hinata's ear:

_A branch that is broken bears flowers twice, Hinata-chan. Like a broken branch, you will gather beautiful blossoms when the second spring comes._

And maybe her spring is coming, Hinata thinks; she's certainly been broken. When Naruto snaps off a twig covered in pale pink flowers and pins it in her hair, she blushes, and hopes that the flowers are a good omen.

Naruto takes her arm again, babbling pleasantries, and Hinata wishes that she could make Naruto her danna instead. He has brought her here to help him spy on the Suna ambassadors, since ninja are forbidden from using their jutsu during meetings of state, however informal.

But Hinata is not a ninja. If she is discovered using her doujutusu—which she won't be—it will only be a minor misdemeanor. It's part of Orochimaru's brilliance in buying all the okiya, or geisha houses, in Konoha's Flower District. It's a different class of women, not governed by the usual rules. At that thought, Hinata feels her curse mark tingling on the inside of her thigh and shivers, though she isn't cold.

Naruto leads her the to side of a cherry blossom tree and nods. Hinata unfurls her fan and covers her eyes, then activates her Byakugan.

"There are three four-man teams surrounding the garden," Hinata whispers. "Their signatures are foreign."

"Are you sure they're not Konoha?" Naruto murmurs, leaning against the tree trunk. A few stray blossoms fall across his face, and a light powder of snow shimmers around him like a halo.

Hinata shakes her head and deactivates her eyes, lowering her fan and fluttering it in front of her face. "They're Suna. I'm s-sure of it." Hinata giggles when a pair of dignitaries sweep by them, and she touches Naruto on the arm, making it look like she's just told him a joke.

Though her face is a serene mask, inside, Hinata is quavering. She had been sold to Orochimaru in the first place because she was a terrible ninja; to use her powers outright in front of the Hokage's son makes her uneasy. Even despite all of Orochimaru's training. Hinata grimaces at that thought before taking a deep breath and fanning herself. She will do whatever it takes to be free. Whatever it takes.

Even becoming Sasuke's mistress.

Remembering Orochimaru's orders, Hinata laces her arm through Naruto's again, and she floats beside him down the pathway, watching the sunlight flickering through his golden hair like a crown of light. He laughs about something, and his face breaks into a full smile that makes his blue eyes flash, like water glinting in the sun. Not for the first time, Hinata has to quell the red-hot jealousy in the pit of her stomach. She wishes she could always be perched on Naruto's arm, walking side by side with him.

Might things have been different, if she had remained a ninja?

It takes all of Hinata's training not to snort at herself in derision. If she had remained a ninja, she would have died a thousand times over by now.

Better by far to serve her country as a geisha, Hinata tells herself. Unbidden, her father's words echo in her mind, from the day he had traded Hinata for a ninjutsu scroll: _Try to make yourself useful._ _Do not shame your new master, like you have brought shame to me. _The way he had said it, acerbic, but mostly just weary, like Hinata was nothing more than a sack of potatoes Hiashi was tired of hauling around—potatoes fit for nothing more than grating and frying in burning oil. Even now, the memory makes her stomach roil.

"Are you all right, Misaki-chan?" Naruto calls, his blue eyes narrowed in concern.

Hinata gulps. _Try to make yourself useful. _"A-ah, y-yes." She takes a deep breath and says, more clearly this time, "Won't you introduce me to your parents, Naruto-san? I have never met Hokage-sama and his wife. It would be such an honor for someone like me…" She pitches her voice to carry.

Couples turn towards her and murmur, the weight of their gazes making Hinata flush. She's glad she put on extra white powder, and she prays to Kami that no one can see her blush. Naruto laughs his carefree, crystal laughter and leads her through the crowd. She can hear snippets of whispered conversation as she passes, like walking through fog and catching beads of condensation on her kimono. She concentrates on Naruto's sunny smile and on taking tiny, mincing steps so that she seems to glide over the cobblestones.

The crowd parts in front of Naruto like waves splitting before the hull of a great ship as they make their way to Kushina and Minato. Minato's manner is seemingly carefree, but the tension in his shoulders gives him away. Beside him, Kushina shines in the sunlight like a faceted ruby as her red long hair catches the light. Hinata meets her eyes and they share a long gaze. It is the first time Hinata has seen Kushina since that day, almost ten years ago, when her father had handed her off to Orochimaru.

Kushina takes her arm and murmurs a placid greeting to Hinata, but all Hinata can hear are the words Kushina had spoken that day, her blue eyes brimming with tears and glittering like an ocean. _Forgive me, but Danzo… And I can't… Do you know, before your mother died, she told me that blossoms are more beautiful from a broken branch?_

Misaki. Beautiful blossoms. Hinata can hear her geisha name chiming like temple bells, like a song swelling with sorrow and spilling over into tears.

But Hinata is broken out of her reverie when Kushina says, "Hinata-chan, what did you see?"

Hinata starts at that, because for the first time in a long time, someone has used her real name. The sound of it bursts through her muddled thoughts like the sun breaking through dark clouds. Like a flower turning towards a sudden light, Hinata stares at Kushina in a mix of fascination and startlement. But Kushina only smiles a soft, sad smile, and prods her with her elbow.

"Ah—my l-lady," Hinata stammers, "they say that the b-blossoms are b-beautiful surrounded by cold snow."

Kushina inclines her head slightly to signal that she's understood the code—the Suna ANBU surround the garden, but they are not moving. She gives a long, high whistle, as if in response to Hinata's words, and shadows flicker along the edges of the garden. Hinata sees them only because she was looking for them, and because of her eyes.

Hinata relaxes, but only a little. She has completed one mission, but not the other, more difficult task that Orochimaru has set for her. Bowing to Kushina, Hinata takes Naruto's arm in hers, and they circulate among the guests. She speaks to dozens of Suna men, learning little but piquing their interest—especially a jonin named Baki, who drops hints that he would love to meet her at the Red Lantern teahouse, the most elite teahouse in Konoha. She smiles and touches his arm, pleased to see that his face flushes.

If she can get him drunk, then she can get information from him. Orochimaru-sama would be pleased—but not if she loses sight of her main objective. Hinata draws away from the man and finds Naruto again, then scans the crowd for Uchiha Sasuke. She nibbles her lower lip. She can't ask about him without blowing her cover, but she doesn't see him anywhere. If she comes back to the okiya without making progress…she shivers. Best not to think about that now.

Just as the party is breaking up, and Hinata resigns herself to another "lesson" from Orochimaru, Naruto raises his voice in greeting, a great garrulous roar.

"Yo, Sasuke-bastard, I thought you wouldn't make it!"

Hinata's heart hammers in her chest when Sasuke strides forward, his dark eyes flashing. "Unlike some people," he snarls, "I had things to do. Where's Sakura?"

"Out on a mission. Sasuke, this is—"

"I know who she is," Sasuke says with a sneer, his eyes narrowed. Hinata's first reaction is to wilt, but she remembers Karin and Temari's advice. She forces herself to sneer back, though the expression feels unnatural on her face.

"I k-know who you are, too," Hinata says as coolly as she can. She takes a deep breath and holds onto Naruto's arm tightly. "You are the s-spoiled son of Uchiha Fugaku." She forces herself to glare up at Sasuke even as sweat beads on the back of her neck. She hopes it doesn't make her powder run.

Sasuke's eyes widen, then narrow again. "And you are the infamous Misaki," Sasuke mutters, leaving off the honorific after her name. "_Pleased_ to make your acquaintance." She can tell by his tone that he is, in fact, not pleased.

Good. It's just as Karin has said.

Time to turn up the heat.

Hinata leans on Naruto and runs a manicured finger down his arm. Naruto gulps, and she smiles. "It's a shame you missed the cherry blossom festival, Uchiha-san," she says, and though she addresses Sasuke, her eyes never leave Naruto. "The flowers are beautiful, but it looks like it may snow again, and knock the blossoms off of the trees." She flutters her eyelashes and gives Naruto a seductive, sidelong gaze. "Naruto-kun has been such a gracious—"

"I actually have work to do," Sasuke interrupts, "and I need to talk to Naruto. Alone."

Hinata offers Sasuke a tight-lipped smile and takes his arm in her free one. "It would be a shame to waste such a beautiful day on work, wouldn't it? Why don't all three of us walk through the gardens together—don't you agree that it would be pleasant, Naruto-kun?" she says, drawing the pad of her finger under Naruto's wrist. She feels his pulse quicken, and draws a lazy circle on his bare skin before replacing her hand on top of his arm.

"You know, I think that would be a great idea," Naruto blurts out, turning towards the gardens to hide his blush. He walks down the swept pathway unevenly while Hinata leans on his shoulder. Her other arm still threaded through Sasuke's, Hinata hooks her elbow and practically drags him after her, smiling when Sasuke's scowl widens.

They haven't gone more than five paces when Sasuke growls, and pulls her aside, even as Naruto protests. "Listen," he hisses, his voice pitched so that only Hinata can hear him, "you may have convinced the Hokage and his family that you're trustworthy, but I know _what_ you really are." He glares at her, his black eyes glinting red. The breath hitches in her throat, and she looks away quickly, focusing her gaze on the lapel of his coat.

"How can you know w-what I am," Hinata breathes, feeling anger replacing her fear, "when you don't even know _who_ I am?" _Don't you dare judge me,_ she thinks, as she runs a long fingernail down the curve of his shoulder, then turns away from him with a sweep of her pink kimono. Her laughter chimes like clinking glass, though it is forced. "Uchiha-san, I didn't know you had such a sense of humor."

"I don't know what Orochimaru is planning," Sasuke seethes, "but you can tell that slimy bastard that I'm not buying it."

Hinata gives him a wide-eyed, innocent stare, then bursts into laughter once more. "Oh, Uchiha-san," she says, taking her fan out of her sleeve and fluttering it at him, "you are wonderful. But not as w-wonderful as Naruto-kun, I'm afraid." She places her hand on Naruto's arm again and looks up into his two blue eyes with a gaze she's practiced hundreds of times, both in the mirror and on men. She can see him melting, his blush traveling down from his cheeks to his neck.

Such a shame, Hinata thinks, her heart sinking. She really would prefer to make Naruto her danna.

She glances at Sasuke over her shoulder and bats her eyelashes. "We should drink together at the Red Lantern," Hinata calls airily, turning back to Naruto. "It would be my honor to pour you sake there. There is a party tonight—I hope that I will see you there." Her finger darts out to stroke Naruto's pulse point again. She can tell from the way he gulps that his mouth has gone dry.

"Absolutely not," Sasuke hisses.

"I d-didn't invite you," Hinata says, trying to make her voice smooth and cursing her stutter. Many men find her stutter attractive, but it won't serve her here, not with the Uchiha. That's what Karin, her oneesan, has told her. She forces herself to take a deep breath and says, "But if Naruto-kun invites you, then I would be _honored_ to pour you sake." Her mouth turns down as she glances at Sasuke, but she needn't have bothered with the expression; he's already caught her meaning from her tone.

"I don't have time to waste at a teahouse," Sasuke says, wrinkling his nose.

"Aw, Sasuke-asshole, you're just jealous," Naruto retorts. "Let's go out tonight. I love the Red Lantern," he says, though Hinata knows he doesn't go often. She has only entertained him there a few times, and every time, he has gone with Kiba, or his sensei, Jiraiya. She flushes at that thought. The last time Jiraiya came in, he had pinched her butt.

She had charged him extra for that, and admonished him that any more untoward behavior, and he would have to find himself another teahouse.

"The Red Lantern? Tch. I'd rather die," Sasuke mutters, his gruff voice breaking her out of her thoughts.

"And I wish that you would," Hinata says, smiling coldly at Sasuke. She pauses for a moment, feeling the weight of her words. There is some truth to them, after all—if she is successful in her mission, then Sasuke probably _will_ die. Suddenly, she laughs her ringing, glassy laughter again and pats Naruto's arm, as if she's just make a joke. Naruto laughs uneasily. "I will be dancing tonight at the Red Lantern," she says to Naruto. "It would be a shame for you to miss it."

"Sasuke and I wouldn't miss it for the world—would we, Sasuke?"

"The hell?" Sasuke sputters.

Hinata bows and takes her leave of Sasuke and Naruto as they begin to argue. She casts one final glance over her shoulder before she exits through the gates, and catches Sasuke's flashing eyes staring back at her, like storm clouds streaked with lightning. Her blood runs cold, and she exits, more hastily than she should.

Slowing her pace to a more dignified walk, Hinata looks down at the daffodils pushing up through the snow on the side of the road, but all she can see is the memory of Sasuke's dark eyes glaring at her. He's beautiful, in the same way that predatory animals are beautiful—dark, mysterious. Dangerous. Only this time, instead of being the predator, Sasuke will learn what it means to be prey.

Hinata clenches her hands into fists and walks away, her head held high, her zori barely making a sound as she glides over the sidewalk. She can hear Naruto and Sasuke arguing faintly in the breeze:

_I'm not going, you moron._

_You have to! I promised Misaki. It'll be fun._

_I don't trust her._

_Well, I do. She's a good person, I can tell. My mother says..._

The wind changes, and the voices fade. Hinata cannot hear more even though she strains her ears. She walks away, slinking like a cat holding its tail between its legs, feeling lower than the ground she walks upon. She thinks back to what Sasuke had said to her, and her cheeks burn.

He's right about her. They shouldn't trust her at all.

Hinata's own words ring in her ears, and she cannot deny them: _How can you know what I am when you don't even know who I am? _

_Don't even know who I am?_

_Who I am…_

It seems like a long, long journey from the gardens to the okiya.

#

"Ku, ku, ku," Orochimaru says, licking his lips. Hinata trembles. She is in Orochimaru's underground office under the okiya, taking small, shallow breaths so that she won't sneeze from the damp, moldering smell. She's thankful that Orochimaru isn't keeping her down here for training tonight; she's so distraught from her mission today, she doesn't think she could handle it.

"So you think Sasuke-kun will be there?" he purrs.

"I know that he w-will, Orochimaru-sama."

"Very good. Return with Karin and rest, Misaki-chan," he calls. "Remember, if you are successful, you will win your freedom." He dangles the promise like a jewel, shining and just out of reach. Hinata's jaw tightens. She bows to depart, but before she can scamper away, Orochimaru's booming voice stops her. "I wonder, Misaki-chan, what will you do when you are finally free?"

Hinata freezes. "I...um..."

"Come now," Orochimaru calls, affecting a fatherly tone with her. "You must know."

"I'd like to...ah...I'd like to r-retire. Maybe in the Land of T-tea," Hinata mumbles.

"You'd leave Konoha? Your home?" Orochimaru murmurs. Something about his tone unsettles her.

"If it p-p-pleases you, O-orochimaru-sama," she says, cursing her quavering voice. Orochimaru's barking laughter resounds throughout the cavern. He gestures for her to leave, and she practically flies away, not wishing to answer any more questions from her master.

Karin meets her by the secret entrance, taking her arm in hers as the stone shifts closed behind them. "I hate you, you know that." It is not a question.

"Y-y-yes, o-o-oneechan," Hinata whispers.

"It should have been me seducing Sasuke—me," she whines, throwing back her long red hair. Unlike most of the geisha in Orochimaru's employ, Karin wears her hair down in soft cascading waves, like a red ocean. She still wears traditional kimono, ones as scarlet as her eyes and hair, and lipstick a dark shade of blood red.

Karin goes on to moan about how unfair it all is, that _she_ has powerful jutsu, too, jutsu that she's used to help Sasuke on undercover missions. He's got the most delicious chakra, she confides, licking her lips. She would give her right arm just to sleep with Sasuke and extract information from him and maybe, just maybe, get knocked up. Hinata blushes as red as Karin's misguided lipstick.

"Y-yes, o-oneesan," Hinata murmurs when Karin pauses in her tirade to glare at her. They walk up the stairs to their quarters in silence. When they get to the top of the landing, Hinata blurts out, "If it were up to m-me, o-oneesan, I would let you have h-him."

Karin barks with laughter, then stops sharply as she opens the door to their shared apartment. "Isn't that kind of you. I'd kill you, but it would displease Orochimaru-sama. So instead, I'll let you sleep. Let me help you out of your kimono."

"Th-thank you, o-o-oneesan." Hinata smiles weakly, knowing that Karin wouldn't do her harm, that her words are empty threats born of frustration and powerlessness.

"Pfft. Stop stuttering," she mutters. Karin releases Hinata from her pink kimono, leaving her in her pale blue under robes. Hinata lays down on her bed, resting her neck on a wooden bolster so that she won't ruin her hair or makeup.

"I'll be back in a few hours. Don't do anything stupid."

"Y-y-yes, o-oneesan. Th-thank you—"

Karin slams the door behind her, cutting Hinata off. Sighing, Hinata lays back on the board and tries to rest, but she cannot. There are too many memories fluttering through her head, black and white, like moths swirling around a candle and singeing their wings in the flame. They won't let her rest. When Temari opens the door some time later, Hinata has not slept a wink.

"What are you doing, lazy?" Temari mutters, stalking over to her. Temari had joined the okiya a few years after Hinata, when Suna had tried to invade Konoha and lost—badly. Temari's younger brother was killed, and Temari herself was captured by Orochimaru. Technically, Hinata has seniority over Temari, but in reality, the only thing that keeps Temari's perfectly manicured nails from digging into Hinata's throat is Orochimaru's favor.

As long as that is the case, Temari can't touch her. Physically.

"Please, Temari-san, let me r-rest," Hinata mumbles. Unlike Karin and Temari, Hinata is the only one in this okiya who has a geisha name. It is supposed to be a mark of respect for Hinata, one of the few geisha actually born in the Fire Country. The rest are mostly captured kunoichi from other countries, and they retain their own names to remind them how low they've come, entertaining the men they were once hired to kill. It's a strange system, a mix of shame and glamor that doesn't fool anyone, except for simple-minded soldiers.

She knows. And Sasuke knows, too, probably because he heads the police force and it's his job to know Konoha's inner workings. It's ingenious, Hinata thinks, something only Orochimaru would have thought of—who better to spy on Konoha's ninja, looking for traitors in their midst, than women who bear a grudge against the people they serve?

Not that she has a grudge, she tells herself, as she lays on her bed and tries to ignore Temari's stare. That's why Hinata is one of the most popular geisha in the Leaf.

People trust her, believe her wide, innocent eyes.

"Why should I let you rest?" Temari huffs, plopping herself down on Hinata's bed. "I have to work twice as hard as you do." Hinata looks up at Temari with half-lidded eyes. Temari's yellow hair is framed by the lamplight, making her golden hair glow and her green eyes flash. "Get up and bring me some tea. _Now_."

"She's going on a mission tonight, you tramp," comes Karin's gruff reply from the corridor. "Leave her alone."

"Oh. She's seducing that Uchiha kid," Temari mutters, pursing her lips. "He pisses me off."

"Don't talk about Sasuke-kun like that!" Karin shrieks, stomping into the room.

"I'll say whatever I want—whore," Temari mutters, rounding on Karin.

Soon, the two are arguing so loudly that Hinata gives up any attempt at resting and rises, draping a robe over her undergarments. She pads down the steps and hides in the kitchen. The servants do not question her. They are used to her, escaping her roommates. Without asking, Hinata is given tea, which she sips, slowly, without smudging her lipstick.

Before the steam has had a chance to cool, Karin storms into the kitchen, and drags Hinata back up the steps. "Come on," she mutters, "we're going to be late."

"W-we?"

"I'm coming with you tonight." Karin pauses on the steps and grimaces. "I'm supposed to help you."

#

Hinata didn't think Karin had _this_ in mind when she had offered her help.

"Oh Sasuke-kuuuuuuuuun," Karin purrs, draping herself on his arm. "Can I pour you more sake?"

"No," Sasuke snarls.

Karin rises with a broad smile and pours Sasuke more sake anyway, making sure to flash him her bare arms under her long sleeves. He turns away from Karin with a scowl, but Hinata is on his other side. She brushes her hand with his, then draws back quickly and frowns at him, like it was his fault in the first place, winning her a particularly withering look from Sasuke. While he's concentrating on Hinata, he doesn't notice when Karin slips an aphrodisiac into his drink. Hinata blushes, but not from Sasuke's glare. It won't be long now before she sinks her talons into him.

Her stomach clenches at the thought, but she tells herself that he probably deserves it.

She's doing the right thing.

She takes a sip of her own sake to dispel her thoughts. "The sake is lovely tonight, isn't, Naruto-kun?" she murmurs.

Naruto, on her left, is well into his fifth cup. "Ah," he says, downing the rest of his sake. Hinata rises smoothly and refills his cup, showing just a sliver of her bare wrist. His cheeks show a dusting of pink at that. When she is done pouring for Naruto, she turns to pour for Sasuke, but sees that he hasn't touched his drink.

"Uchiha-san," she says with an exaggerated frown, "your cup is still full. It would be a shame to waste such good sake."

He's about to retort when Naruto chimes in. "Come on, asshole. Get drunk with us—if you have the balls, that is."

Sasuke glares at Naruto, then downs his sake in one gulp. Hinata has to stifle her grin when Karin calls for a drinking match, and soon, Naruto and Sasuke are downing cup after cup, until they have to order a new bottle.

Just as they are about to commence the second round, Kankuro walks in. He is alone. Hinata shoots Karin a glance, and Karin nods. She strides forward and takes Kankuro's arm, neatly cutting off a geisha from another okiya, and takes him aside.

"Kankuro-san is one of Karin's best clients, when he is in town," Hinata explains softly, pouring another round of sake. This time, when Sasuke's eyes trail down to trace her bare wrist, she smiles. "They got into a fight today, and Karin has gone to apologize." It's a total lie—Karin has gone to report on the status of his sister—but Hinata needs a good cover story.

"Aw, it was rude of her to leave our table," Naruto grouses. "It was fun watching her torture the asshole." Naruto and Sasuke throw back more cups of sake, but then Sasuke frowns, and stares at Kankuro and Karin.

"Isn't Kankuro's sister in your okiya?" Sasuke says, slurring his words slightly but still as sharp as ever. Thankfully, though Karin is across the room, she is keeping an ear out. She bangs her hands on the table, and shouts that Hinata will now perform her dance. There is clapping all around. Hinata hides her face behind her fan and flutters it, affecting embarrassment, before she snaps it closed and strides forward. She makes sure her kimono brushes Sasuke's arm, and notes with satisfaction that his eyes follow after her.

Karin tunes her shamisen with a twang while Hinata takes her place in the center of the room, her body angled towards Sasuke. She doesn't have to look up to know that he is looking hungrily at her; his gaze is a palpable weight.

She rests her own gaze on the hem of her brilliant orange kimono, her eyes tracing the embroidered leaves done in gold and red, waiting with bated breath. When Karin plucks out the opening notes to the song _Autumn is Dying, _Hinata unfurls her fans and moves slowly, like a leaf falling on a gentle wind.

She closes her eyes and remembers her mother's withered hand laying on the pillow, cold and stiff; remembers the day she entered Orochimaru's subterranean office, hidden beneath the okiya above, the dank smell of mold and formaldehyde permeating his office. She remembers her father's hand as he signed his name in sweeping calligraphy, selling her off. The memories add weight to her movements, makes the dance come alive with the color of her emotions.

As she moves and flows with the music, she remembers the day Orochimaru himself took her mizuage, deflowered her to mark her entry into being a mature geisha—it's something he does for all the geisha in Konoha, for he owns all the okiya, not just Hinata's. She feels a twinge on her inner thigh where her curse mark resides, and she remembers Orochimaru's dark, rumbling words from a mouth still dripping blood. Her blood. _You're lucky. The new formula isn't as likely to kill you._ Then he left her there, blood trailing down her thighs, writhing in the sheets as Orochimaru's mark emblazoned itself on her skin.

As the music swells and her fans cleave the air, she thinks about her current mission, the chance to be free from Orochimaru—at the cost of another man's life.

And never mind that she doesn't like Sasuke very much, Hinata thinks. Never mind that he is probably guilty of the crime he is being accused of. It hits Hinata then that she is not very different from the ninja she is dancing for. She is owned by the state. She kills, she seduces, by the will of Orochimaru, and by his superior, Danzo. Her dance is the dance of death, she thinks, as she sinks down to the floor, her long sleeves trailing out behind her, her fans fluttering, then going still. The music fades, and there is a smattering of applause.

Hinata rises, then bows. When she looks up, she meets Sasuke's eyes, smoldering like a dying fire. She doesn't release his gaze, and her eyes go soft, and sad. She wishes she had danced a more appropriate song for spring, instead of a song that left her naked and trembling like autumn leaves. Something changes in Sasuke's eyes. They turn dark and smokey, and unless Hinata is fooling herself, she thinks she catches understanding flashing over the undercurrent of desire.

Hinata comes back to the table, fanning herself. She feels hot under Sasuke's gaze, like she is standing too close to a fire. She turns towards Naruto, who toasts to her health, and goes on and on about how much he enjoyed her performance. Hinata forces herself to laugh, to flirt, even though she has no heart for it.

"What did you think of Misaki's—_hic_—dance—_hic?_" Naruto says to Sasuke in between hiccups.

Hinata leans back on her knees. "I'm sure he hated it," Hinata says with a pout. "Uchiha-san probably has no taste for dance."

Sasuke looks at her. At first, Hinata thinks it is a glare, but is not. His eyes are dark, haunted. Starving.

"Pour me some sake," he mutters to Hinata. Hinata rises slowly, pouring the sake in a thin trickle to maximize the amount of time Sasuke will stare at her. She feels beads of sweat running down her back, but she doesn't let that ruin her graceful stance. Hinata replaces the bottle on the table with a clink and sinks down into her spot, feeling suddenly weary.

"I liked it," Sasuke says, so softly, Hinata isn't sure she heard him at first. "It was..." he trails off and swirls his sake in his cup before drinking it.

Before he can complete his thought, Karin is slinking over to their table. Hinata meets her gaze and nods—now is the time.

"Gentlemen," Karin says, and though her voice is smooth, and her face pinched into a smile, Hinata can tell it is forced. "Did you know that my little sister currently does not have a danna? Isn't that a shame, Naruto-kun," she purrs.

"A beautiful thing like Misaki?" he calls.

"Tch. You can't have a mistress, Naruto," Sasuke mutters. "Sakura would kill you."

"What she doesn't know can't hurt her," Naruto huffs. "What do you say, Misaki—wouldn't you love to have a danna like me?" He beams up at her with those guileless blue eyes, smiling widely. Hinata's heart drops like a stone sinking into deep water.

"N-n-naruto-kun is k-k-kind to say such things to m-m-me," Hinata replies, cursing her stutter. She's not usually this tongue-tied—she must have had too much sake. But Naruto thinks her stumbling is cute, and lays a hand on her arm. She flutters her eyelashes and looks up at him, as if for the first time. She does not have to feign her reaction.

"Of course, Misaki-chan would be just as lucky to have a danna like Sasuke-kun," Karin grounds out between partially clenched teeth.

"Are you kidding?" Naruto shouts. "Sasuke would be a terrible danna. He doesn't even treat Sakura—his own teammate!—with respect. Really, I'd be much better," he says, pointing to himself with his thumbs and smiling winningly at Hinata.

Karin titters at that, while Hinata stares down at the table, covering half her face with her fan. "But Sasuke-kun is very good looking," Karin chimes, "and he—"

"Enough," Sasuke mutters.

Karin catches Hinata's gaze. Time to switch tactics.

"I don't know," Hinata says, still demurely hiding her face behind her fan. "I would be lucky to have Uchiha-san as my danna, but luckier still if Naruto-kun chose me."

There. She has thrown down the gauntlet.

Naruto lets out a whoop. "Hear that, Sasuke-bastard? If it came down to it, Misaki-chan would choose me!"

Hinata closes her eyes, knowing that the choice is not up to her. It never was.

"She can have you," Sasuke mutters.

"Oh, you are so jealous!"

"I'm leaving," Sasuke says, rising abruptly.

"Ha! You don't have any balls, asshole," Naruto calls, after him. "When it comes down to it—"

Sasuke turns and slaps his hands down on the table. "You want to take this outside, moron?"

Before Naruto can retort, Hinata rises with a sweep of her shimmering kimono and takes Sasuke's hand. "I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble," she says, not sorry at all. "Why don't you walk me home, Sasuke-san? It would be a great honor for me."

This seems to mollify him. Sasuke gives one last glare to Naruto before taking Hinata's arm and striding out into the night air. As they depart, Hinata can hear Naruto complaining to Karin, who listens sympathetically as she pours him more sake. She and Karin share a glance before Hinata is whisked outside.

"Sorry," Sasuke says, once they have walked about a block. "I don't usually...drink." He shoots her that starving look again before glowering down at the pavement.

"It's all right, Sasuke-san," Hinata says, slowly, so that she doesn't stumble over her words. "I had a very nice evening with you."

"Tch. Why are you suddenly being nice to me? What are you planning?" he says, eying her warily.

Hinata giggles at that. "Oh, Sasuke-san, we geisha are always planning something," she says, patting his arm. And then: "I am sorry if I treated you less than courteously this morning. I was..."

"Put off by my bad mood," Sasuke says with a smirk. "That was probably my own damn fault."

Hinata puts a hand over her mouth in mock-horror. "I wouldn't have said that, Sasuke-san."

He chuckles, and they walk in silence. Sasuke is quite nice when he's drunk, Hinata thinks with a sad smile. He isn't scowling, and when they walk under the lamplight, his eyes look soft, like he is thinking of something precious to him. She wonders what he is thinking about, but doesn't ask. She knows better than to talk when she is not spoken to, with a client like Sasuke.

"Why did your father sell you to Orochimaru?" Sasuke asks suddenly, and the question startles her so much, she forgets to walk, and stands still in the middle of the street.

"I—I—" Hinata mumbles, feeling her cheeks flush. When she looks up into his velvety eyes, she doesn't have to fake her unshed tears. She turns away from him quickly. "I'd r-rather not t-talk about it."

"But I want to know," Sasuke rumbles, taking her arm once more. "I demand to know."

Hinata makes a pained, choking sound. If she is going to complete her mission and land Sasuke as her danna, she must do as he orders. It would be unseemly to deny him. Taking a deep, shaking breath, she steadies herself and says, "I had no skill as a n-ninja. So my f-father was k-kind enough to find me a p-profession more suited to my natural s-skill."

"You're lying," Sasuke says. When Hinata moves to protest, he mutters, "You're not lying to me—you're lying to yourself."

Hinata looks away and down at the snow melting into puddles by the side of the road. "N-no," Hinata says at last, "I am just making r-reality sound k-kinder than it is." She meets his gaze without flinching. "If I can find a good d-danna, then I will be able to buy my freedom from O-orochimaru," she whispers, and Sasuke doesn't miss how she leaves off Orochimaru's honorific, or the way she says his name, as if it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. What she's saying to Sasuke isn't part of the plan, but it's tumbling from her lips, and now that she's started, she can't stop. "O-orochimaru is..."

"A cruel, subhuman piece of scum," Sasuke completes for her. When her head snaps up at that, he says, "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone that you said so."

Hinata flashes him a bright smile, one that reaches her eyes. "Thank you," she whispers, laughing softly at his joke. She takes his hand, and gives it a squeeze, then releases him, slowly, before gliding towards the entrance to her okiya. When she gets to the door, she glances over her shoulder at Sasuke, who is still watching her. He offers her a slow kind of half-smile, half-smirk as he stalks off into the night. She opens the door to her okiya with a sigh, limp with relief.

Orochimaru himself is standing there by the door, a wicked smile curving his lips. Hinata's whole body goes rigid with fear.

"Very good," he rumbles, his voice sounding like thunder. "Very, very good." He places a cold hand on Hinata's shoulder, and she shudders.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed reading, more on the way soon. Please review;)_


	2. Fighting with Flesh

_Hey guys, sorry for the wait, but this chappy was REALLY hard to write. I had class all day today, so I apologize in advance if there are any typos or anything—I've looked it over twice, but if you spot anything, please let me know and I'll fix it. If anyone with good grammar and editing skills wants to beta the next chapter, please let me know:)_

_Thanks again for all your kind reviews and general awesomeness. I hope you enjoy the next chapter._

_Please note: this chapter contains a sex scene. It's pretty tame, by fanfic standards, and was really difficult to write...more on that in the end note._

_Onwards!_

* * *

Chapter Two: Fighting with Flesh

_And who knows if there will be any emotion involved in it at all, or if it will just be two shinobi fighting with flesh, instead of jutsu, for dominance._

Hinata is allowed to sleep in the next morning, and for that, she is grateful. It gives her time to nurse her hangover in silence. There is only Hinata laying in her bed, staring up at the gauzy canopy.

Eventually she rises, slowly, so as not to jostle her hair, and starts her morning routine. By the time she has washed her face and dressed, it is noon. Temari and Karin wait for her downstairs, both tapping their chopsticks impatiently.

"Good morning," Temari mutters, spearing her with a glare. Hinata gulps before she sits at the table, head bowed.

"Lay off her," Karin snaps at Temari, her red eyes flashing.

"I didn't say anything but good morning—whore."

"Tramp."

"Bitch."

"Why thank you," Karin says with a smile, digging into her bowl of noodles.

Hinata shakes her head and stuffs her mouth full of food. She wonders what it is like at the other okiya in the Flower District, but she supposes that they are all the same: filled with bickering, exiled kunoichi who pour tea with the same deadly accuracy they used to throw kunai.

"Stop brooding while you eat your food," Karin snaps at Hinata. "It makes you look ugly."

"Y-yes, o-oneesan."

"Too bad Karin looks ugly even when she's not eating," Temari simpers, talking with her mouth full.

Just then their okaasan walks in, smoothing down her long green kimono. As always, her eyes look sad and far away. When she shakes her head at the geisha's antics, her hair pin dangles pink clinking crystals.

"Guren-sama," Temari says, chagrined that their okaasan has caught her fighting with Karin again. "You look well."

Guren rolls her eyes at Temari, then ignores her. "Misaki. In my office. Now."

Hinata practically chokes on her noodles. Recovering herself as best she can, she rises on shaking feet and trots after her okaasan, slowing her pace only when Karin shoots her a glare to walk in a more dignified manner. She's careful to leave the door open a crack, otherwise, Karin will terrorize Hinata later for not letting her sisters eavesdrop.

"Misaki," Guren says, sinking down into her armchair. "Do you know why you're here?"

"N-n-no," Hinata stammers. She remains standing, tenting her fingers in apprehension. "Have I done something w-wrong?"

"Wrong? Heavens, no," Guren answers, playing with a hexagonal crystal on her desk. "I just wanted to let you know, there's a bidding war going on. You have three suitors who are vying to be your danna."

"Th-three?" Hinata squeaks. She can't even imagine who the third is.

"Mmmm. The Hokage's brat, Uchiha Sasuke, and Hyuga Neji."

"Niisan," Hinata breathes. He must be trying to save her. He needn't have bothered, she thinks. It's already too late for that.

"All three of them are loaded," Guren says, her black eyes sparkling like volcanic rock. "And what's more, all three of them will be attending a party at the Red Lantern tonight. How's that for luck?"

Hinata leans back on her heels, dizzy. "V-v-very a-auspicious," Hinata mumbles.

"You're to go to that party, and you are to drive up the bidding. Your sisters will help you," Guren calls, pitching her voice to carry. "If you can get one of them to promise a substantial monthly sum to support you…" Guren trails off, but her meaning is clear. The okiya will take a portion of what Hinata earns each month from her danna until her debt is paid off completely.

Then, she can leave everything and everyone behind her.

#

"N-neji-san," she says, speaking so softly he has to lean in to hear her, "you d-don't have to do this."

"Everyone else in the family may have given up on you," he hisses, "but I haven't. I'm not going to let you get entangled with either of these jerks. Naruto's nice enough, but he's got rocks for brains. And Sasuke…" he trails off, grimacing. "Sasuke's no good for you."

"Neji-san…" she mumbles, looking down at her clasped hands.

"At the very least, I'll drive up your price—the sooner you pay off your debt, the sooner you can be free. I'd pay it outright," Neji mutters, "but Hiashi has forbidden me. So I'll play this stupid, sick game behind his back, and—"

Hinata places a hand on his chest. "Enough. Th-thank you, niisan."

"Don't call me that in public," Neji whispers. "Someone might overhear. Hiashi has forbidden it."

Hinata sighs, then changes the topic. "How's Hanabi?"

Neji makes a face. "Ruthless. She's about to make jonin."

"That's g-g-great," Hinata says, looking off to the side. "And f-f-father?"

"He's in perfect health," Neji says, leaning against the wall and eyeing the other occupants of the Red Lantern. "Naruto is coming this way."

"P-please be civil to him."

"I will." Neji meets her gaze. "But I can't promise the same for Sasuke."

Naruto smiles a wide, nervous smile and starts babbling at Hinata. She smiles and crinkles her eyes to make it look like she is following him, but she can't hear the words, just the cadence of his voice like a gurgling stream. He takes a step closer to her, and his breath fans across her face. He smells like alcohol. Still, she smiles, while Neji glowers at Naruto.

Before Neji can speak, she takes both Neji and Naruto by the elbow and leads them to a table. Karin is already there, sitting at the head with Kiba, whose party this is. He has just made jonin, and as Hinata kneels by the low table, she congratulates him, her voice hardly wavering, though inside, her heart trembles.

"Well," Kiba says to her, his cheeks round and red, "I couldn't have done it without Hanabi. She's my teammate," he adds, as if Hinata didn't already know, "and we trained together like crazy. She's taking the test tomorrow, and then everyone from our old team will be jonin level. Pretty incredible, huh?"

Hinata nods, too choked up to speak. To cover her silence, she refills Kiba's cup for him, concentrating on looking elegant. She turns to fill Neji's cup. When she's done, his eyes flicker up to hers, and though she's smiling her taxidermic geisha smile, he sees straight through her. But there's nothing he can say, and nothing she can do. So she finishes pouring him his sake and she turns to Naruto, flashing him a large swath of wrist as she pours his drink in turn.

The men all clink their glasses in a toast, but Hinata can't hear them. She scans the room. Waiting for her prey. She catches Karin's gaze before they both bend down to serve another round of spirits.

When the door opens with a gentle chime, it's all Hinata can do to not to snap her head up. But it's not Sasuke. It is Kabuto, and on his arm is Temari, her golden hairpin flashing in the lamplight, but not as brightly as her burning green eyes.

Temari isn't allowed out of the okiya when Suna dignitaries are in town, not without supervision. Orochimaru knows they would steal her away from him. When Hinata catches her eye, Temari smiles, but Hinata knows it is really a grimace.

Hinata looks away quickly and answers Naruto's question, inclining her head as if she has been paying attention to him this whole time. On his insistence, Hinata pours herself a cup of sake and sips it delicately, minding her lipstick. It helps to settle her nerves; to ease the feeling of so many eyes on her.

Naruto makes an insipid joke and her laughter clinks like glass while her stomach roils. His eyes are bright and blue, like the sky, or the sea, Hinata thinks; if Naruto were her danna, she would never be unhappy. Not with a man like that supporting her.

Hinata's hands tighten around her cup. That's the way it is, she thinks, taking another tiny sip. The only training she's had is how to be a geisha—how to have men support her. She's an entertainer. An artist. An illusionist. The curse mark on her inner thigh tingles, and she admits that she is other things, too. Dark things. Best not to think of that now, she reminds herself.

The door to the teahouse opens, and in steps Uchiha Sasuke. He lets in a gust of air, and a chill runs down her spine. Showing no emotion, she rises to take his coat and shoes, murmuring a polite greeting, but when she meets his eyes, her words die in her throat. His eyes are burning, like he is being consumed with a black fire from within. He is giving her that hungry look from the day before—the way a starving man might eye a meal.

Flustered, Hinata takes his arm and leads Sasuke to the table, then pauses, unsure of where to sit. If she takes a new seat by Sasuke, she will slight Naruto and Neji; but if she takes her old seat, then she will leave Sasuke sitting alone. Her eyes flicker to Karin, who nods her head towards Hinata's original place. Hinata bows her head. After pouring Sasuke his sake, she glides to sit next to Naruto. When Karin spears her with another look, Hinata leans on Naruto's arm and asks him to tell another joke.

The tension in the room mounts after that. Every time she laughs at one of Naruto's ill-concieved jokes, or leans on his arm, she can feel Sasuke's eyes boring into her. And though this is The Plan, Hinata's guts twists, and she has a leaden, sinking feeling in her stomach.

To make it worse, when she glances at Neji, she sees that he is glaring daggers at Sasuke. But Sasuke ignores him. He only has eyes for her, and the weight of Sasuke's stare makes her skin prickle.

Just when Hinata thinks that the pressure is too much, and the room starts spinning, Karin calls for Hinata and Temari to perform with her. The guests roar, with Kiba roaring loudest of them all, eyeing Karin lasciviously. Hinata smiles a soft half-smile, happy that Karin has another client.

Though she and her sisters have practiced this routine all afternoon, Hinata still feels her heart beating irregularly. Karin kneels with her shamisen, tuning it softly, and Temari kneels beside her, her hands folded in her lap. Hinata poses and waits for Karin to play.

The twangy sounds of the shamisen ring out to a fast-paced tune as Temari sings in a thin, reedy voice. Hinata performs the dance called _Crossing the Wintry Creek_. She stands on tip toes and lifts the hem of her kimono—never higher than her knees, but enough to elicit shouts from the audience. It had been Karin's idea to start with a racy dance. When Hinata looks up through her lashes to see Sasuke scowling down at her, she wonders if it was such a good idea.

When the raucous applause dies down, Hinata takes out her fans from her long sleeves and waits. The music starts up again, stately and slow. Hinata moves like a fallen blossom drawn by a swirling current of water as Temari sings the words to _The Breath of Spring. _She sings it with such sincerity and sadness that Hinata's eyes mist with tears, and the force of Hinata's own longing is drawn to the surface.

She closes her eyes and dances along to the quavering sound of the shamisen and Temari's voice, and for the first time, she realizes that while she has a ticket to her own freedom, Temari and Karin will never be free. Though they each have many clients, no one from Konoha would trust either geisha enough to become their danna. And without that kind of financial support, they will be stuck in the okiya until they die.

Hinata's dance of hope becomes a dance of sorrow. She has a fleeting thought that maybe she can buy an okiya of her own—buy Temari and Karin's freedom herself—but then, Hinata's curse mark tingles again, making her pause in her dance.

Maybe Hinata is fooling herself.

Maybe Orochimaru will never let her, or any of her sisters, be free. Maybe she was a fool to trust Orochimaru's word in the first place.

With that, the music ends, though the strings still reverberate chillingly in the hushed room. Hinata crouches in her final pose, her fans going still and heavy in her hands.

The room is filled with clapping. Hinata raises her wide, shining eyes. She sees Sasuke, who is looking at her, as if for the first time. He takes a long, slow drink of sake, eyeing her over the rim of his cup. Everything else in the room fades away. There is only her, and Sasuke, and the darkness that settles around them like a thick mist.

Then the moment is over. Sasuke looks away, and Hinata finds her seat again, the noises of the teahouse receding to a dim roar in her ears. The door to the teahouse opens and shuts with the wind, though no one enters. The shudder of the door slamming shut sounds final, like her fate is being sealed in the chilly winds of spring.

#

"Congratulations," Guren says, presenting Hinata with a new kimono. She takes it in shaking hands and reads the note from Sasuke. The words don't say much, but the calligraphy rolls like waves on the sea in the breath of a storm. She gulps, and runs her hand over the thick brocade on the blue fabric. The silk is soft and exquisite. It must have cost a fortune, Hinata thinks sadly.

"You're to meet him in his apartment. Tonight," Guren says, her dark eyes inscrutable. "You'll receive further instructions from Orochimaru-sama later this afternoon. You are dismissed."

Hinata leaves her okaasan with a bow, her mind whirling. At the rate Sasuke has agreed to pay to her okiya, Hinata will be free in just a few months. That's what Hinata tells herself as she clutches her kimono and retreats upstairs.

As she approaches her room, she hears muffled whispers inside:

"…And Kankuro agreed."

"He did?" The more shrill voice belongs to Temari. "Thank the gods… Maybe I'll get out of this hell hole after all. Orochimaru—"

As soon as Hinata enters, they stop speaking in hushed whispers and stare at her. Hinata stands still for a moment, regarding them. She lays her new kimono reverently on her bed, then knees on the floor near her sisters, her head bowed.

"Thank you both for your h-help last night," Hinata whispers, forcing herself not to fidget.

"Nice kimono," Karin calls, her voice even. "From Sasuke, I assume."

"Y-y-yes, oneesan," Hinata mumbles. She doesn't miss the way Karin's red eyes flash.

"I can't believe the amount he's willing to pay for you," Temari calls, sounding bored, but Hinata can tell that the tone is an affect. When she looks up into Temari's eyes, they seem sad, like a deep green sea untouched by sunlight.

"It's outrageous," Karin mutters. "Hinata has become the richest geisha in all the Fire Country overnight."

"It's o-only because my o-o-oneesan is so k-kind," Hinata stutters, her eyes welling with tears.

"Oh shut up," Karin snaps. Hinata looks up into Karin's eyes, which look about as sad as Hinata feels. Hinata bursts into tears.

"Oh gods, you'll ruin your makeup," Karin says, her voice going soft. She grabs a cloth and drapes it around Hinata's neck, lest she get makeup on her kimono, then awkwardly pats Hinata's back.

"I'm s-s-sorry," Hinata stutters, her lungs aching. She wishes there was more that she could say—more that she could do for them—but there isn't.

"I can't watch this," Temari says, striding out of the room, her yellow robes swishing behind her.

Karin leans forward on her knees and stares at Hinata for a long time. Hinata hiccups and her tears fade. "Come on," Karin says, sounding tired. "I'll help you reapply your makeup."

#

Hinata walks with aching slowness up the steps to Sasuke's apartment. She assumes that he has bought it specifically to meet with her, as it is in the center of town, far away from the Uchiha compound. When she reaches the front door, she doesn't knock right away. Instead, she fingers her hair ornaments, crystals clinking in the silence. The ornaments dangle from a wooden pin, which conceals a hypodermic needle inside.

_Slip it out while he's having his way with you,_ Orochimaru had said with a long, sideways grin. _Then, at just the right moment—ku, ku, ku—stick it in his carotid artery. _Hinata didn't need to ask which moment Orochimaru had been talking about.

Hinata drops her hand to her side and bows her head. She had asked Orochimaru, her voice shaking, if the green liquid inside the needle was a poison. His amber eyes had widened at the question, then crinkled with laughter.

_Why do you want to know?_

_I—I don't want to k-kill him._

_Ku, ku, ku. That's not your decision to make. Nevertheless, the needle won't kill him. _A wide smile, glinting teeth. _But I just might._

Hinata stares at the door, still lost in thought. It used to be, in the times before Orochimaru, that a geisha and her danna had a joining ceremony, similar to a marriage. A pledge of trust. A pact, a contract, a bill of rights. Hinata read about it once, in an old book. These rites are no longer practiced in Konoha; men want their privacy, don't want the rest of Konoha to know when a mistress is taken. And Orochimaru isn't known for keeping his promises, anyway.

Hinata nibbles her lower lip at that thought. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she lifts her hand and knocks softly on the door. Instead of hearing the sound of her knuckle rapping on the door, she hears Orochimaru's sibilant promise: _If you can do this, consider yourself a free woman—earlier than planned._ Hinata hadn't asked what would happen if she failed. Her curse mark burns at the thought, but she doesn't dare clasp a hand over it. The front door eases open on silent hinges.

At first she does not see Sasuke's face. He is like a dark ghost, bathed in shadow, until he opens the door further and his profile catches the lamplight outside. She sees Orochimaru in his face, the shadows playing on her imagination. She shivers.

"Come in," comes his dark, rumbling voice. Sasuke sweeps aside and Hinata enters the dim candle-lit room. The floor seems to shift under her, and the walls move. Dizzy, she steadies herself against the wall, knowing that it is only an illusion from the low light; that she of all people should be able to see through illusion.

"Are you all right?" he murmurs, taking her arm.

"F-fine," Hinata says. She wants to say more, but her tongue becomes thick in her mouth.

Sasuke gives her a sharp look before seating her on the couch. He sits down next to her, but they do not touch. Hinata is grateful for that, though she knows it is foolish. He will have to touch her, later. And she will have to touch him. And who knows if there will be any emotion involved in it at all, or if it will just be two shinobi fighting with flesh, instead of jutsu, for dominance.

Hinata's eyes adjust to the darkness. She sees the opaque outline of a teapot sitting on the coffee table. Mustering all of her artistry, Hinata rises on steady feet and takes it in her hands, pours the tea, a simple action she's done so many times before. She doesn't have to tell her body how to bend, how to pour, how to flash a sliver of pale wrist. She hands Sasuke his tea and their fingers brush, making her heart beat irregularly in her chest.

She sits, perched on the end of the couch, holding her hot tea in her hands. She wishes she could sit on the floor in the traditional style. The floor cannot hide things like the voluminous cushions of the couch can. She imagines that there might be scrolls, microphones, or weapons ensconced behind the backrest. He knows that she has come here to destroy him. He must know.

Hinata takes a long sip of tea to steady her nerves. She mustn't act foolish. Even if he does know, it doesn't matter.

Failure is not an option.

She _will_ win her freedom.

"Sasuke-danna," she says at last, when Sasuke does not break the thick silence, "thank you for the kimono. It is beautiful." She runs a hand down the side of her blue kimono, the silk soft under her touch. But Sasuke doesn't follow her gesture. He stares steadily into her eyes. She gulps.

"So. I'm your danna now." It's not really a question. Hinata isn't sure how to reply.

"Y-yes, Sasuke-danna..." Hinata clutches her teacup and falls silent.

"I know Orochimaru is up to something," Sasuke mutters. "I can't believe that you would throw yourself at me—that Karin would deign to _help_ you throw yourself at me—if you weren't under orders to do so."

Hinata's mouth goes dry. She takes another sip of tea, then clenches the cup tightly in her hands so that she will not tremble.

"I admit, Sasuke-danna," she replies, "that my okaasan ordered me to pursue you. But I d-don't know anything about O-orochimaru's plans." That's true enough, Hinata thinks. She spreads one of her hands wide, palm up, in her lap, a sign of surrender. "I j-just want to obtain my f-freedom."

Sasuke trails a finger down Hinata's jaw. Hinata doesn't breathe. Her wide eyes look up into Sasuke's, but she looks away quickly. Who knows what he can see, with or without his Sharingan, if he holds her gaze for too long. He leans in so closely, his breath fans across her face. Then, just as quickly, he leans back, and stares at her, as if she's a new kind of weapon he's not sure how to wield.

"You don't know what you're in the middle of," Sasuke says at last. "Orochimaru is a dangerous man."

Hinata titters at that, a strained, hysterical sound. She breaks off abruptly and eyes Sasuke. "Yes," Hinata whispers, "I know."

"What do you know?" Sasuke asks, leaning forward again until his nose almost touches hers, his eyes glinting red.

Hinata looks away from his menacing gaze and stares down at his lips, pressed into a thin line. He wants to know what she knows. How mundane, predictable. Banal. Does he want to know how it feels to be sold as chattel, to be used, and cursed, forced to bend to the will of her master? Her anger boils like lava roiling under the crust of the earth.

She meets his gaze then, rutilant as it is, without fear. Anger gives her strength, eats her fear like a flame consuming its wick. "I know what it means to suffer—to be owned," she retorts, her voice raw with emotion. "That is what I know."

"Tch," Sasuke says, still holding her gaze with his red eyes, "you geisha are all alike. Self-centered. Narcissistic. It's like no one else suffers besides you."

"I can't visit my mother's grave without sneaking into the Hyuga compound," Hinata whispers, "because my father has disowned me. And yet, he still owns me."

"You only know how to talk about yourself," he snaps.

"I s-speak about w-what I know," Hinata says, looking away. She slides her facade back into place, like the wall that conceals the entrance to Orochimaru's layer, grating closed along the stone until secrets are obscured.

She must focus now on seducing Sasuke. It's dangerous to show too many emotions, and yet, she felt that she had to show some—to offer some kind of truth to satisfy him; some vulnerability to draw him closer.

"You're not the only one who's suffering in this village," Sasuke hisses. "It's because of Danzo, and Orochimaru—the way they run our underground intelligence systems. I'm this close to incriminating them both," he says, resting his elbows on his knees and staring at her intently. "That's why you're here."

"Why?" Hinata replies, her voice smooth and without inflection.

"To spy on me. Find fodder to accuse me of something." Sasuke sips his tea, his eyes never leaving hers. "Think before you act—that's all I'm asking you to do. This is bigger than you or me, Hinata."

Hinata turns towards him with a start, almost dropping her teacup. "D-d-don't c-call me th-that," she stammers.

"What? Hinata? That's you name," Sasuke says, rising. He walks to the open window and looks down at the street. A gentle rain begins to fall, pattering on the roof and dotting the glass.

"My name is Misaki," Hinata says, slowly, so that she will not stutter. Sasuke has left his teacup on the table. As she bends to pour for him, she nudges her sleeve to fall at just the right angle, letting pale white powder fall into his drink, like snow. It is a substance without taste or smell. Unlike poison, which ninja are trained to detect, it is just an aphrodisiac—a strong one that Orochimaru has given her specifically for this mission. It will make him helpless. At least, that's what Orochimaru had said.

Orochimaru works for Danzo, Hinata reasons. Danzo works for the Hokage. If they are accusing Sasuke of treason, then she will believe them, regardless of Sasuke's ridiculous accusations. _No one is more loyal than Orochimaru,_ Hinata thinks to herself, though the voice whispering in her head isn't her own. _I will follow Orochimaru's orders, or suffer the consequences. I will live and die by his wishes._

_Live and die._

_Live and die._

_That's a good girl, Misaki-chan. Hold still now._ Breathy, sibilant laughter in her ear. _I own you, Misaki-chan._

_Yes._

_You belong to me._

_Y-yes. _She shivers. A long fingernail running down the length of her naked body.

_You belong to me._

Hinata blinks. Somehow, she is standing with Sasuke by the window ledge, handing him the cup of tea. "Your mother is dead as well," Hinata murmurs. Sasuke takes the tea from her outstretched hand without touching her. "We have that in common, at least."

"My mother was murdered," Sasuke snaps, "as was half my clan, by my brother." He growls. "It's not the same thing at all."

Hinata turns to look out of the window, watching the rain fall, the streets turning slick and glinting in the orange lamp light. The Uchiha massacre. A night when Itachi's bloodied sword was stopped only by the Fourth Hokage himself, though Itachi got away, somehow. She wonders if he will ever return, and hopes that he does not. Hinata presses her fingers to the window pane.

"What will you do, Sasuke-danna, if you find your brother again?" she whispers.

"That's none of your concern," he grunts, turning away. She tilts her head and regards his back, wondering what secrets he holds inside those dark, smoldering eyes. She watches him as he drains his teacup, then slams it down on the windowsill. Hinata is surprised that the cup doesn't break.

She knows that it is a risk to speak when not spoken to, but she has to do something—anything—to complete her mission. She glides away from the window and undoes her obi, slowly, so that the long red sash hisses against the silk of her dress.

"Don't bother," Sasuke snarls. "I'm not going to—"

"I'm not a-a-asking you to," she says, her voice quiet but cutting. "I want to show you s-something." She nudges her kimono open and withdraws a bare arm. She offers it to Sasuke, who takes a step back, as if it is a snake that might bite him. Keeping her face smooth, she traces a line around her upper arm, pale blue ink inscribed with the Fourth Hokage's insignia. Sasuke's eyes flash red as he comes forward to inspect the mark.

"Chakra restraints," Sasuke murmurs.

"I have one on the other arm, too," Hinata says, pulling her arm forward to display her other cuff. "I cannot use chakra unless I'm on a mission."

"Why are you showing me this?" Sasuke snaps. "Are you trying to seduce me? It's not going to work."

But Hinata sees the way sweat is beading across his forehead, the way his pulse quickens—she can feel heat rising from his finger pads. "Do you know what it's liked to be owned, Sasuke-danna?"

"I—"

"Let me show you something else," Hinata says, withdrawing her arms. She takes her kimono, still draped on her shoulders, and lays it gently on the couch. Then she turns back to Sasuke and hooks her finger into the opening of her under robe, and parts it, until her clavicle is bared. Sasuke gulps and looks away.

"I'm not—"

"It's another seal," Hinata says, edging towards him. "You are my danna, now. You should know who owns me, besides you."

"No one owns you," Sasuke snarls. "No one—"

Hinata pulls her robe apart so that the space between her breasts is bared. "My father wanted to put this seal on my forehead, but of course, Orochimaru wouldn't let him ruin my face. They placed it over my h-heart instead."

Sasuke's fingers move, as if they have a mind of their own, and trace the design in the air, hovering just above her skin. "The branch seal," he says, slowly, his eyes lingering on her cleavage.

Hinata takes a deep breath. This feels so forced, like a scene out of a bad spy movie; a chapter out of one of Jiraiya's pornographic novels. Who else could have scripted this but Orochimaru? Though the pity-strip-tease and party drug had been Karin's suggestion, to use as a last resort.

Hinata's not supposed to show Sasuke her curse mark—it's supposed to remain a secret, dusted over with waterproof foundation and a touch of concealing chakra, but Hinata is feeling petulant and rebellious and angry at her master. What does it matter if she reveals this last humiliation to her danna?

He'll probably be dead, soon, anyway.

So she props her leg up on the low table, nudging the tea cups out of the way with her toes. Slowly, like a curtain being blown back in a breeze, she lifts the hem of her robe. Sasuke's gaze is fixated on it, follows the slow revelation of ankle, calf, thigh. He takes an uneven step towards her. She takes his hand and places it on her inner thigh.

"There's a g-genjutsu h-here," Hinata whispers, her throat dry. "Dispel it."

His chakra crackles along her leg like static electricity. He brushes away the white powder on her leg and looks at the curse mark, a swirling tattoo of three concentric circles, like a bull's eye.

"What is this?" he says, tracing the circles with his finger. Hinata clenches her teeth.

"Orochimaru's mark," she says, shivering when Sasuke's hand lingers. "He owns me." He places his whole palm on her leg, covering the mark, and looks up at her, his eyes glinting.

"No one owns you," he growls, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

"No one o-own me but y-you, you mean," Hinata whispers, feeling his hot breath on her neck.

"No." Sasuke pulls back, then leans his forehead on hers. "You make your own choices." Then his hands are on her body, and she is closing her eyes, imagining that she is somewhere outside of herself, anywhere but here. She waits for teeth, the whip of a tail, scoring marks of fingernails raking across her back, drawing blood, blood, her blood dripping from fangs—

It doesn't happen. Sasuke gathers her up in his arms and carries her into the bedroom, her white robe trailing out behind her where it hangs from her shoulders. He places her on the bed reverently, like she is made of breakable glass, then he takes a step back.

"I shouldn't do this," he says, his eyes darting back and forth.

Hinata forces herself to shrug. "Why n-not?" she whispers, looking down at the bedspread. "I w-w-want you to."

Sasuke brings his face close to hers. "…You do?"

Hinata swallows thickly. She pushes the edge of her robe off of her shoulder, rolls over onto her side, and looks up at him through her thick lashes. It is a critical moment. Hinata almost hopes that he will regain his self-control, that the drug will lose its effect. It doesn't. He stumbles forward and brushes his lips with hers.

Hinata starts at that, pulls away quickly. "Wh-what are you d-doing?" she asks, her eyes wide.

He makes a tsking sound and covers her mouth with his again. Hinata realizes that this is her first kiss. Tears blur her vision. She wonders if this is how people touch each other when they are in love—soft skin pressed to skin, this steady, gentle movement against the sheets. For the first time while being touched, Hinata doesn't fall into memories or hear Orochimaru's voice in her ear. There is only their skin and the fall of her tears as Sasuke kisses her.

"Why?" Hinata gasps when Sasuke trails his lips along her neck.

"Why what?" he says into her neck, his breath tickling her skin.

"Why k-kiss me?" she says in a small voice, her eyes squeezed closed. _Why make this more difficult?_ she asks, silently.

He brings his mouth to the shell of her ear. "Because I want to." He finds the trail of tears coursing down her cheeks and kisses them away, then finds her mouth again.

For a moment, she closes her eyes and she imagines that he loves her. What a thing, to be loved; to be touched like this. She hadn't been expecting him to be so gentle—it's not the drug. It's him. She kisses him back, feeling her heart breaking open like a dam. Her tears pour down her face.

Sasuke draws away. "Why are you crying?" He looks into her eyes, and the breath hitches in her throat. She must not let him see her secrets. She closes her eyes and she draws his head forward, until it rests on her neck.

"I'm…f-fine," she breathes. "Please—d-don't stop."

This time, when he kisses her lips, she does not kiss him back. She must not. Her heart thunders in her chest. She wishes that she did not have to do this. She wishes that she could have the capacity to kiss this man; that she did not have to be selfish, and self-serving; that she was not owned by people who want Sasuke dead.

She forces herself to take deep breaths to calm herself. Sasuke rests his face by the side of her neck, breathing in her ear, like the sigh of the ocean.

She will finish her mission.

She has to.

She trails one hand, lazily, to rest by her hair. Pulls out the wooden hairpin with slow precision. Lets it rest gently in the palm of her hand. Sasuke doesn't notice. For all that he's a jonin, and head of the police force, with red eyes that see every movement and memorize every jutsu, he is under her spell, now. He only has eyes for one thing.

Her back arches. He pants. Grunts. She wraps a leg around him, knowing that it won't be long now. He shivers, then shudders. With ninja-precision, she unsheathes the needle. Just as she's about to slam it down into his carotid artery, Sasuke growls, clutches her arm and pins it behind her head. His eyes spin red and black, spearing her with a glare, but Hinata won't give up—she can't, not when she's this close.

With an animal snarl, she activates her own jutsu, veins bulging in her eyes. She can see his chakra network outlined in shimmering blue meridians, and she twists in his grip, her fist tight around the needle, but he holds fast. He's still inside of her—she can't gain any purchase with her legs, splayed open. She mews when Sasuke's crimson eyes whirl into view, feeling the heavy threads of genjutsu falling over her. That's when the adrenaline hits.

Her curse mark burns on her inner thigh, then activates with a jolt of chakra. The genjutsu is dispelled. With a roar, Hinata throws him back—he hadn't been expecting her to overpower him, he isn't prepared. Before he can recover, she jabs the needle into his neck, pushes the plunger down.

"F-forgive me," Hinata whispers, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

Sasuke looks up at her with a snarl. He convulses, this time from pain, not pleasure. He looks up into her wide, white eyes, still shimmering with tears, and his gaze goes red again, boring into her.

The world around her fades, from darkness into bright light, and for a moment, Hinata thinks that Sasuke has killed her with his glance alone.

_If looks could kill,_ Hinata thinks, grimly. She deserves to die, she thinks; at least, death will set her free. So she opens herself up to the light, and floats towards it, leaving her naked body behind.

She sees a figure moving towards her, and wonders if it is her mother, come to bring her home. Or, if it is a more sinister entity, a demon come to cast her into the fires of hell.

She wouldn't be surprised, either way.

* * *

_endnote: Yeah. Really hard to write a sex scene from the perspective of someone who's been raped. It really wasn't meant to be very sexy... It took me weeks to iron out this part of the chapter._

_As always, thank you for reading, and please review;)  
_


	3. Roots and Flowers

Hey guys, thanks so much for all your kind reviews! Special thanks to **JadedGothButterfly **who did an insanely great beta'ing job for this chappy:) She's got eyes like a grammar hawk! So you can thank her that this chapter isn't riddled with errors T-T

Life is a little crazy these days, but I'll try my best to update by the one month marker.

Also...on a personal note...I'm turning 30 in less than 10 days! :O So crazy...

Hope you enjoy the chapter my friends:)

* * *

Chapter Three: _Roots and Flowers_

_She reaches out a hand and cradles his cheek, the kind of thing a lover might do, even though they are not. Not really. Only for a minute, maybe in another life, other circumstances…_

"What the hell did you do to me?" Hinata recognizes the gruff voice even before the darkness resolves into two flashing eyes and a looming body swathed in black.

"Where am I?" Hinata breathes, her wide eyes darting every which way. The white light has faded to formless dark red. She feels like she is inside a womb.

Sasuke shoves her up against a wall—where the hell had that wall come from?—and growls in her ear. "I never should have trusted you."

"N-no," Hinata replies, looking away from his terrible eyes. "You sh-shouldn't have."

"What did you do?" he demands, shouting, pinning her arms above her head.

"It's a heavy s-sedative," Hinata whispers. "Orochimaru is taking you in for questioning."

Sasuke releases her, curses, slams his fist against the wall. Then he grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her.

"Listen to me, you stupid, _stupid_ girl," he seethes. "I don't care if I die, but this is going to effect the whole village—the whole village! Do you understand?" He stops shaking her and peers into her eyes.

"You were planning a coup d'etat," Hinata whispers, looking away from him. "You and the rest of the Uchiha. You deserve what you'll get. T-traitor." Even as the words leave her lips, Hinata doesn't quite believe them—not anymore. Her heart trembles like a frightened animal.

"Shut up and listen," Sasuke snaps. "There isn't much time. Danzo and Orochimaru are the ones planning the coup—only this time, instead of hiring my brother to kill his own family," he growls, his red eyes flashing, "they've hired Suna to help them. I'm sure of it now," Sasuke mutters, as if to himself. "It all makes sense now—Karin speaking to Kankuro at the teahouse. If only I hadn't been so _stupid,_" he hisses, glaring back down at Hinata, pressing her against the wall again.

"Suna is going to attack the Leaf, and Orochimaru is going to take advantage of it and finish off the rest of the Uchiha." Sasuke's red eyes spin like fiery wheels, capturing her gaze. Stars dance across her vision. Hinata whimpers under the force of his jutsu, her head pounding from the pressure.

"Wh-what are you—" Hinata whimpers, but Sasuke interrupts her, divining her question.

"I'm implanting information into your head. You need to get to someone with the Sharingan, or someone with mind jutsu—" He breaks off when the world quavers around them; the formless red light that surrounds them bleeds into black, then fades to pale gray. "Shit—I'm losing consciousness," Sasuke mutters. His whirling eyes still, dissolving into black.

"Sasuke…" Hinata trails off; she doesn't know what honorific to use anymore. Her teeth chatter as she gazes into the dark pits of his eyes.

Sasuke releases her, and her hands fall awkwardly to her sides. "If you ever loved this village," he snarls, "or at the very least, if you don't want innocent people to die—" he glares pointedly at her— "you'll deliver my message."

The ground underneath their feet rumbles, like the first knells of an earth quake. But Hinata stands still, still staring up into Sasuke's eyes, now black like a starless, moonless night. She reaches out a hand and cradles his cheek, the kind of thing a lover might do, even though they are not. Not really. Only for a minute, maybe in another life, other circumstances…

"I'm s-sorry," comes Hinata's whisper, tears blurring her vision. Sasuke becomes a vague silhouette, black streaked with blood-red.

He learns forward with a growl, and mutters in her ear:

"No one _owns_ you, Hinata. Make your own choices."

With that, the genjutsu dissipates like a terrible dream. Hinata finds herself panting, draped over Sasuke's bare shoulder. Her hand is still clenched around the needle protruding from his neck. His eyes are closed, long lashes resting against pale skin. He looks peaceful. Almost. Hinata withdraws the needle with shaking hands and drops it on the floor. With morbid fascination, she watches Sasuke's neck as blood beads out of the puncture wound. Reaching out a trembling hand, she closes the wound, her green-glowing chakra illuminating his pale face with sickly light.

She untangles herself from his limbs, his arms falling away from her with muffled _thuds_ as they hit the bed. His skin is cold. Hinata turns away quickly and replaces her under-robe and tie. Someone else will have to help her with her kimono. It's too cumbersome to do it by herself. Her eyes flicker to the living room where the blue kimono, her danna's gift, hangs on the arm of the couch, shimmering like a waterfall in the pale light. Her gaze lingers there for a moment, and she is flooded with so many emotions—she can't name them all, doesn't want to name them all—anyway there's no time. She needs to give the signal.

She's about to scurry out of the room, but stops to spare one last look at Sasuke, lying pale and naked on the twisted sheets. She can't let them find him like this. She locates his discarded clothing and replaces them, even though Sasuke's unconscious body is a dead weight, and her hands are trembling, and Orochimaru will probably punish her for wasting time. She doesn't care. It's the least she can do.

When Sasuke is clothed, his black hair still wild around his sallow face, she takes a deep breath and stands still, looking down at him. She raises a hand to her forehead, remembering. He's put information in her brain. She needs to get it to the Hokage. Somehow. Why her? Why should she care? It's not her problem. This village sold her, mocked her and used her and _used _her and now—look at what she's done.

Her hand lifts up, as if of its own volition, and strokes Sasuke's cheek. It is so cold. Biting her lower lip, she finds his pulse in the crook of his neck. It is slow, but still strong. Still alive. She leans over and brushes his cold mouth with hers. But this isn't some stupid fairy tale, Hinata chides herself, drawing away. Sasuke won't wake up until Orochimaru has administered the antidote. And then…

Hinata doesn't know what will happen to Sasuke, not exactly, but she has an idea. She's seen the laboratory, the tanks filled with green bubbling liquid, holding bodies that were once human. The jars of organs. The surgical steel implements that glint in the low lamplight.

She's been to the "teaching" cell too, the one where Hinata learns her "lessons." There are different implements there, ones meant to cause pain without marring appearances. Electrical prods. Tanks filled with icy water, made with trap doors that can only be opened from the outside. There's a machine that produces genjutsu, too; it's supposed to be as strong as anything made by a Sharingan, though Hinata's never been in trouble terrible enough to warrant such a "lesson."

Hinata turns away from Sasuke, unable to pursue this line of thought anymore. He's lying, she tells herself. He can't possibly be telling the truth. She's served Orochimaru her whole life. The Hokage was there when her father signed the papers, selling her, and Minato had said in a thin, reedy voice that there was more than one way to serve her country. That she should accept her destiny.

Anyway, Kushina had said afterwards—when the men had been busy murmuring about the proper seals to place on her body—that there was nothing Minato could do about it. Something about the council, his hands were tied. Some people were born to be roots, and others, flowers.

Did she understand?

No. But she said yes, accepted her fate like a good little girl, made the best of it. At least she was doing something productive; something she could excel at. There was artistry to being a geisha, a modicum of respect, an opportunity to live far away from her father and her family—a new life. A new destiny, a second chance, _don't bring shame to your new master. Try to make yourself useful._

Hinata trudges to the window and flashes the lantern three times. She waits, hovering like a ghost behind the white curtains.

Hinata blinks, and three black-robbed figures stand before her, materializing out of thin air. Their white masks streaked with red regard her for a moment, then they stride into the bedroom without a word. Their white and red masks almost make them look like geisha, Hinata thinks absently. Masked and obedient, she knows she's not so different from them.

Roots and flowers, different ends of the same stalk. Only flowers wither in winter, while roots persevere, make it possible for more flowers to bloom in the spring. Hinata closes her eyes, and imagines geisha growing out of the ground. They bloom for one season, then wither with the wind and fall in the autumn, their bright kimono turning brown and sinking into the earth.

"Misaki?" someone calls.

Torn out of her reverie, Hinata blinks blindly in the half-light and turns towards the voice. It is Karin. She is not dressed in a kimono, but in black robes, her long red hair pulled back under her hood. Hinata had not heard her come in. Karin gives her a long, penetrating stare before helping Hinata back into her blue kimono. She does not say a word. The three Root members emerge from the bedroom, bearing Sasuke's prone body between them. His head lolls back, and his mouth is parted, as if in a silent cry.

Karin growls low in her throat. "Harm one hair on his head, and I'll kill you. Go," she mutters, glaring at them. They are gone in a flicker of shadow, leaving nothing but leaves in their wake. Hinata looks between the empty place where the Root members had stood and Karin. For the first time, it dawns on Hinata that Karin has more power than she imagined.

"Are you hurt?" Karin asks sharply. Hinata shakes her head. "Don't worry," she says, offering Hinata a tight smile. "Orochimaru-sama promised that Sasuke-kun won't be harmed."

"H-he d-did?" Hinata sags with relief. "Th-thank g-goodness." For a moment, Hinata is placated—she is not a bad person. She's done the right thing. But then, Hinata's shoulders go rigid again, and her head snaps up. "O-oneesan? I need to ask you something…"

Karin grins. "Sure. Anything."

"Swear to me that you'll tell the t-truth."

"Geez, I swear," Karin answers, rolling her eyes. "Spit it out already."

"Is Orochimaru—is he planning to overthrow the government?" Hinata's voice is soft, her eyes wide, but her hands are balled into fists, and she digs her nails into her palms.

Karin blinks, and her red eyes widen with surprise. "So Sasuke got wise to us," she says at last. "No wonder why Orochimaru-sama wanted you to rush the job."

"It's t-true?" Hinata squeaks.

"You don't need to worry about it," Karin replies, resting a heavy hand on Hinata's shoulder. "You've already won your freedom. You'll be sent to Mist tomorrow to start a new life, and none of this will concern you any longer."

"But—"

Karin _tsks_. "I don't have time for this, Misaki. Head back to the okiya. I'll be trailing you from above to make sure you aren't intercepted."

Hinata gulps. "Intercepted?"

"Let's just _go,_" Karin snaps. She blows out the lantern. All the other candles have long since gone out, and the room is as dark as the night outside. Karin slips outside, leaving the door ajar. Hinata stumbles after her, her hand clenching the doorknob, but by the time she emerges, Karin is nowhere to be seen. She closes the door, the metal lock clicking behind her. Hinata flinches. It is a final sound, like a mousetrap snapping closed.

She glides down the empty, wet streets with her habitual geisha grace. The rain has stopped. Only a few wet drips fall onto her hair and clothes from the street lamps and tree branches above. The wind sighs, fluttering her kimono out behind her, making her shiver. Everything is still. Silent. Surreal. She can still feel the places where Sasuke has been, traces of skin, fingers, lips; also his rough hands clenching her shoulders, shaking her. It is like holding on to the fragments of a dream and trying to piece together its meaning.

_Why? _Before she had betrayed him, he had been so…gentle. She had closed her eyes and believed that he loved her. Ha—love. There's no such thing, Hinata tells herself. There is only one rule at the okiya, and that is to never fall in love. Karin said love was for assholes, and Temari said love was for suckers. The only thing Temari and Karin had ever agreed on was that a geisha only ever looked after herself; to do otherwise in this business was suicide.

If love is suicide, Hinata thinks, then what has she done to Sasuke? _Murder?_ What about Orochimaru's promise that he won't hurt Sasuke? It doesn't make any sense, any of it. Orochimaru is lying about something—Hinata is certain of that. She closes her eyes and remembers the genjutsu, Sasuke's red eyes on a bleeding black background. She holds a clammy hand to her forehead.

She will find out what has happened to him. She owes him that much—to take responsibility for what she has done. To make choices. So. This is what she chooses: she will enter through the secret stone passageway, and she will creep through the corridors under the okiya. She will find Sasuke.

Her hands ball into fists. She will not abandon her danna, not if there's a chance—however slim—that he is right.

Hinata sucks in a deep breath of chill night air and hurries along the slick street, her zori making wet clacking sounds on the pavement.

#

It is well after midnight in the okiya. Hinata pretends to be asleep, lying taut in her bed. Across the room, Temari is gently snoring. Karin is still nowhere to be seen.

Hinata can feel something in the air, something crackling like lightning in the distance—a storm about to burst. Her skin tingles with it, her eyes burn. As silent as the wind rustling through the grass outside, Hinata rolls out of bed, sheds her nightgown, puts on dark leggings and a tight dark shirt. She is thankful that Orochimaru hadn't sent for her after her mission. He has forgotten to seal up her chakra network. She activates her eyes and scans the corridor outside. The way is clear.

She creeps like a cat, stalking around corners, her eyes gleaming like twin moons in the darkness. She sweeps down the stairs, skipping over the boards that creak, landing as lightly as a feather on the bottom floor. As she approaches the stone entryway, her footfalls slow, her breathing becomes heavier. She is really doing this. She is breaking into Orochimaru's study.

She's heard of others who have tried, in other okiya, to escape via the underground tunnels. Those trespassers had never been heard from again.

Orochimaru's tunnels lead between all the okiya and throughout the entire city. Hinata has seen it all before, has been taken on a tour of the subterranean labyrinth by Orochimaru himself, years ago. There are too many corridors to remember which leads where, but that is all right. Hinata has her eyes.

With her back pushed up against the wall, she looks through the stone entryway. No one. Holding her breath, Hinata pulls the hidden lever. The stone slides open with a rasp. Hinata's heart beats loudly in her chest—has anyone heard her? She waits in the hallway for half a breath. When nothing happens, she scurries forward into the dark maw of the entryway. The stone slides shut behind her with a faint rumble.

Hinata does not know where Orochimaru is hiding Sasuke, but her eyes are bright with chakra. They sweep through the hideout like a searchlight until she picks out the familiar pattern of his shimmering meridians. He is there—far down in the depths of the earth. Hinata bites her lip. She has never been that far down before. She's not sure how to get there.

She concentrates her gaze and picks out other signatures—Orochimaru and Kabuto are in the chamber with Sasuke, and Karin is close by. Hinata keeps biting her lip until she draws blood. What is Karin _doing_ down there? But Hinata is too far away to see what they are up to. She can only see their faint, shimmering outlines, like ectoplasm; like the moon glowing through gauzy clouds. She must get closer.

She stalks down, down, down through the dark passageways, bare earth brushing her back where she presses against the tunnel walls. She sweeps her gaze up, trying to judge what part of the city she is under, but she cannot see through the ceiling. Orochimaru is no fool. The roof of every tunnel and cavern is made from leaden earth, proof against even the strongest Byakugan. She had forgotten; it's been years since she's been this far down in the tunnels. She's already past the training center on her left, a dark, dank cave completely lined with lead and strange, painted seals. Her curse mark burns at just the thought of that room, but Hinata doesn't let it deter her.

Her sandals make no sound as she winds down, deeper into the earth. She can see Sasuke's chakra more clearly now, partially because she is closer, but also because he is angry, and his meridians flare like blue fire. She has to hurry. But the tunnels are winding, like the kind of mazes minotaurs might haunt; just when she thinks she is drawing closer, the path meanders away from her goal, and she has to double-back and try another. The Byakugan does little good here. The pathways are close together and twisted, like a plate full of noodles; it's impossible to tell where one ends and another begins.

Hinata curses under her breath. She wants to hit the walls in frustration, but she does not, because dim torchlight comes into view, flickering along the far wall. Eyes wide with fear and with jutsu, she scrambles up the wall and hangs to the ceiling with the barest of chakra. She feels like a spider, dangling there. No. More like a moth, waiting for the spider to approach its quivering web. Hinata doesn't dare to breathe as the light creeps closer. Closer.

When the light fades, turning down some other corridor, Hinata stays clutching the ceiling, fear dilating her eyes. At last, when the cool darkness is complete once more, Hinata drops down, twisting in mid-air to land on all fours on the damp floor. She stifles a sneeze, then crawls forward, finding the faint footprints that had come so close to her, but hadn't found her.

She studies the footprints like a hunter tracking prey, dips a finger in the depression and furrows her brow. Medium build. Medium height. Wearing standard issue sandals. That's all she can gather. It's not Orochimaru—he would have left more of an impression. It's not Karin, either. Her zori would have made a different pattern. Kabuto, maybe?

She stares through the walls, watches the figure receding down the hall. He is suppressing his chakra, so she can't tell who he is for certain, and can only see his faint outline. He turns right, twice, and left, once. Cautious, she drops to her knees and scrambles after him. This could be a trap; though if Karin had sensed her, Hinata doesn't think her oneesan would have ratted her out to Orochimaru. But what if she's wrong?

What if it _is_ a trap?

_It doesn't matter,_ Hinata tells herself. _If I die, I die_. She squeezes her hands into fists and continues to pursue the path, now leading closer and closer to Sasuke. Nothing matters now other than finding out the truth. She doesn't want to live if it means… If it means what? That Sasuke is dead? Or that she's helped Orochimaru to overthrow the government? Why should she care either way?

She stops abruptly, sweating, the stale air becoming oppressive and suffocating. She shakes her head and forces herself to walk on, step by aching step. She doesn't know why she cares. She just does. That's good enough.

At that moment, pale light streaks the wall in front of her. She clamors up the wall and sticks to the ceiling like the terrified bug that she is, and crawls, upside-down, towards the light. _A moth drawn to flame,_ she thinks, blinking until her eyes adjust to the light. She hovers by the doorway, hearing voices from further inside the cavern. She strains to hear them, but can only pick up stray wisps of conversation:

_Help you? I'd rather die._

_Oh, you might wish that, by the time I'm done with you. Ku, ku, ku!_

Then mumbled, rumbled words that she can't decipher. She will have to get closer. Cold sweat trickling down her back, she edges out, closer to the light. She is in an antechamber, built like three concentric circles around each other. Her curse mark twinges. Her mark is the same design as this room, like a bull's eye.

She doesn't know what the significance is, and right now, she doesn't have the leisure to ponder it. She crawls forward on aching hands and knees, the blood rushing to her head as she darts forward along the ceiling, skirting the torchlight as best she can. The voices become clearer now.

_I could give you power—power you've never dreamed of!_

_I don't need your damned power._ A growl. _Just kill me, you sick fuck._

_And waste a beautiful specimen like you?_ Hinata focuses her Byakugan, sees Orochimaru running a pale finger down the side of Sasuke's face. A shiver runs down her spine. Sasuke's hands are bound above his head in manacles. His feet dangle a few inches from the ground. She bites her lip, because she knows what it feels like to be a moth pinned to the wall, waiting for the fangs to fall.

"What do we have here?" comes an amused voice just below her. Hinata freezes, makes a pained, chirping sound. "A cicada?" A rumbling laugh, then Hinata is plucked from the ceiling by smooth hands. Trembling, Hinata twists to see Kabuto, his eyes glinting with amusement and malice.

Hinata is too terrified to say anything. Her eyes deactivate from fright and she stares, wide-eyed, at Kabuto. He tilts his head to the side, making the light glint off his glasses, obscuring his gaze. It is as if he has compound eyes. The effect is terrifying.

"I can imagine why you've come," Kabuto says, his voice thick with double meaning. Hinata starts trembling. "I can promise you, though, that your precious Sasuke-kun won't be hurt."

Hinata squirms in Kabuto's grip and gapes at him. Something about the way he says it—he's not lying, but he's not telling the truth, either.

From the other room, the voices become clearer:

_If you give yourself willingly to me, I might be able to save a few of your family and friends. Your father, for instance—or that girl, Sakura. She'd be useful. Naruto though…_ Hinata clenches her eyes shut, imagines how Orochimaru must be spreading his hands wide, palms up, with a shrug.

_You're wasting your time,_ Sasuke growls.

_And you are killing your friends—if you resist me, I'll give orders specifically to kill. Sakura will die, and it will be your fault._

_No. It will be yours, asshole._

A slap resounds throughout the cavern. Hinata clenches her teeth. She knows it will be _her_ fault, oh gods, whatever Orochimaru is planning, he's going to kill people—people she knows, people she helped to kill—

"Kabuto," comes a shrill, female voice, "let her go."

Hinata opens her eyes to find Karin glowering down at both of them. Kabuto holds on to Hinata for a tense moment, just to show that he can, before he drops her to the floor. She falls with a _thud._

"You better have a good reason for why you're down here," Karin seethes, hands on her hips. Hinata brushes off her leggings and stands, trying and failing to still her trembling limbs.

"I w-w-wanted to speak to O-orochimaru-sama," Hinata whispers.

"Are you insane?" Karin replies, shaking Hinata by the shoulders. "You can't just—"

"Ka-rin," comes Orochimaru's voice, rich and rumbling, "do bring our guest in."

Hinata is led into the main chamber, Karin leading in front, Kabuto cutting off escape in the back. When Kabuto shoves Hinata down on her knees in front of Orochimaru, Karin doesn't protest Hinata's treatment. Hinata stares down at the ground, not daring to raise her gaze.

"Ku, ku, ku—what do we have here?" Orochimaru says, stepping forward. His cold hand clutches her chin and forces her to look up into his amber eyes. "You do know what the punishment is for coming to my party, uninvited?"

Hinata gulps.

"However," Orochimaru continues, running a sharp fingernail down the side of her face, "I'm rather pleased with my pet today, and so I will allow it. This once. Now, Mi-sa-ki-chan," he says in a velvety, musical tone, "what do you want?"

Hinata closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I want to help you," she whispers, slowly, so that she won't stutter. Her eyes snap open. She remembers every hateful thing Orochimaru has ever done to her, has made her do, making rage flash in her pale eyes. "I want to k-kill them."

Orochimaru leans in closer, until his warm, stale breath wafts over her face. "Oh?"

"I know there's g-going to be a w-war," Hinata whispers. "Let me fight."

Orochimaru laughs, a deep, rumbling sound, like the grating of earth. "Your father sold me a treasure when he signed you over to me, Misaki. Now then. I want you to watch this." He smiles, pointed teeth glinting in the pale light. Hinata's gaze betrays nothing; she's worn a mask for so many years, with and without makeup. She knows that if she's resolute, not even Orochimaru will see through it.

He turns from her, though the motion feels more like a snake coiling and posing to strike. For the first time, Hinata's gaze raises up to Sasuke's, who stares at her with such venom, she's surprised that his eyes aren't glinting red—though of course, his manacles are also chakra restraints. Hinata forces her gaze to be impassive, though inside, her heart drops like a stone falling into deep water, sending ripples of despair through her. As Orochimaru advances on his prey, his long fangs now protruding from his mouth, dripping and inky, Hinata knows what Orochimaru is about to do.

She cannot look away from the bottomless black pits that are Sasuke's eyes as Orochimaru slinks towards his prey. He pauses for a moment, smiling his toothy grin, before his head darts forward. He sinks his teeth into Sasuke's neck. Sasuke's eyes widen in pain, and he gives a strangled cry before convulsing, like an epileptic having a seizure. His eyes roll back in his head. Foam flecks his bottom lip. Hinata doesn't turn away. She stands there like an impassive statue, memorizing the lines of his contorted face. She has done this to him. She will not look away.

Orochimaru stalks over to Hinata once more, patting her head with fatherly pride. He's studying her face, gauging her reaction. When he sees nothing but scorn in her gaze, he chuckles. "You've done well, Misaki-chan. Your oneesan will take you back to the okiya now."

Composed, Hinata bows her head, murmurs her farewell, and turns after Karin down the long, dark halls. What a fool Orochimaru is, Hinata thinks; all the contempt in her eyes had not been for Sasuke. It had been for Orochimaru, but mostly, it had been for herself. In the cool darkness of the tunnels, Hinata allows a single tear to fall from her cheek onto the earthen floor as she walks, silently, behind Karin. The only sound is the sputtering of the torch in Karin's hand as they wind upwards towards the surface.

"You're an idiot," Karin says at last, pausing in the unmarked passageway. "You could have been free—free! Orochimaru was going to make you the new okaasan at the okiya in the Hidden Mist. Why—"

"Oneesan," Hinata interrupts, "what is Orochimaru going to do with S-sasuke? Why has he given him the curse mark?" It doesn't make sense. The curse mark, though a sign of ownership, is also a source of power. Why give that to an enemy?

Karin _tsks_, then looks towards the wall. The shadows flicker over her face from the wavering torchlight, making her look suddenly very old, and weary. "The curse mark will make it possible for Orochimaru-sama to take Sasuke's body."

Hinata tilts her head, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Take his body? What do you…mean?" Her voice is a breath of air, barely even a whisper.

Karin exhales sharply. "Orochimaru-sama is going to transfer his spirit into Sasuke's body before the battle," she says, her tone clipped, business-like. "With the Sharingan, we won't lose—"

Karin is not prepared for when Hinata shoves her against the wall, her fingernails digging into Karin's shoulders. "I thought you l-loved him," Hinata hisses. Hinata's tears are falling freely now, flowing like a waterfall down her cheeks, splattering Karin's black shirt.

Karin _tsks_ again as she shoves Hinata away, her red eyes flashing like fire. "I do love him," Karin snaps. "And this way, we can be together, forever. What?" she mutters, narrowing her eyes at Hinata's incredulous look. "You think a lowly, foreign geisha like me could ever get close to Sasuke-kun? Let me tell you something, Konoha," she growls, advancing on Hinata, until Hinata's back is pressed to the wall, "I do what I have to do to serve Orochimaru-sama."

Karin turns away sharply, leaving Hinata sagging on the wall, her breath caught in her throat. Hinata pushes herself up, slowly. "You don't believe that," Hinata whispers, her voice hoarse with emotion.

"Shut up," Karin says with a sniffle, "before I kill you."

They fall silent after that. Hinata follows Karin up through the twisted intestines of the tunnels until they reach the familiar training room, its dark doorway seeming to writhe with half-seen, nightmarish forms. Karin's steps slow. She turns to look over her shoulder at Hinata.

"You're lucky," Karin says at last. "You got to be with Sasuke before…"

"Before he becomes Orochimaru," Hinata finishes for her, vitriol dripping from her words. Defiant, she meets Karin's gaze.

"We all take what we can get, and we survive, day by day, by any means we can," Karin counters, her voice without inflection. Hinata has heard this platitude before from her oneesan. It's a lie that's been repeated too many times, like cheep metal that's been over-polished, its veneer worn away.

"Yes," Hinata says, her mouth turning downwards, as if the words leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Karin offers her a half-smile before walking forward once more. "Anyway," Karin says with forced cheerfulness, "the invasion is three days from now—it'll take time for the curse mark to take effect, for Orochimaru to complete…" She pauses. "For the jutsu to be complete. Then, Konoha will be ours."

Hinata doesn't ask who Karin means when she says _Konoha will be ours_. It doesn't matter. Hinata has all the information she needs. "Yes, oneesan," is her dull reply.

They pass Orochimaru's study on the right, and then, the exit looms ahead of them. When Karin pulls the lever and the stone door slides open, fresh air fans their faces. Hinata sags with relief. She feels like a live body that has been entombed and crawled its way up to the surface. She stumbles forward, weary and overwhelmed.

Karin takes her arm with a smirk. "We should rest tonight. Tomorrow, we begin the preparations."

Hinata nods, at a loss for a reply. Her mind is reeling with information, with plans. She will deliver Sasuke's message.

She has to.

#

"I wish to visit my mother's grave," Hinata says, looking down at the polished floor.

Guren arches an eyebrow. "But…today? We're doing inventory today," she says, gesturing towards the pile of kunai glinting on her desk. Guren doesn't quite trust Hinata—Hinata can tell.

It's the way Guren looks at her with that unbelieving stare because, rather than be relocated, as was the plan, Hinata has chosen to stay and fight. Hinata has always been treated like the precious jewel of the okiya. And no one in their right mind wears a jewel in the middle of a battle; no one trusts the jewel that _asks_ to fight in that war—a war all the other geisha are forced, against their will, to fight.

Hinata clears her throat. "I'm worried that after the war…property might be destroyed." She forces herself to meet Guren's wary stare. "I'd like to visit my mother's grave while it is still standing. B-besides, I always visit her grave at this time…"

"Fine," Guren finally replies, leaning back in her chair, her fingers clutching a pink crystal. "But your oneesan will accompany you."

"I don't—"

"For your own protection," Guren mutters, her dark eyes flashing. "No one has noticed that Uchiha Sasuke is missing—yet." Hinata gulps, then bows her head.

This could be her only chance to find someone who specializes in mind ninjutsu.

Hinata goes upstairs to her apartment and begins the slow process of applying her makeup. She has to lay on the white powder thickly to cover the purple bags under her eyes. Karin comes in while Hinata is painting her lips and Hinata pauses, her brush hovering in the air.

"You don't think it'll look suspicious, sneaking into the Hyuga cemetery two days before the invasion?" Karin asks.

Hinata shakes her head. "It's the first Monday of the month. The main family will all be at a clan meeting, leaving the branch family to guard the gates. They always let me in. Neji-niisan makes sure of that."

Karin sits down at her own mirror with a _harumph_. "It must be nice, to have a grave you can visit. Konoha burned my whole village to the ground—villagers included."

Hinata doesn't answer. It's a complaint she's heard before from Karin. She knows from experience that any and every answer she might give can and will be used against her. Instead, she finishes painting her face, then dons a bright pink under-robe. When she turns around, Karin is watching her intently.

"Let me help you with your kimono," is all Karin says.

When they are dressed, Karin rummages inside a chest at the foot of her bed. "Here," she mutters, shoving a cloth packet into Hinata's hands. Hinata opens the pouch slowly, cautiously. Inside, there are rows and rows of hypodermic needles, each marked with tiny labels: _poison with red residue; poison that causes seizures,_ and many more.

Hinata almost drops the packet in surprise. "W-what—"

"They're antidotes," Karin explains in a pedantic tone. "You should carry them from now on whenever you leave the okiya. The antidotes on the right side are for poisons Konoha uses; the ones on the left are for the poisons Orochimaru has created."

Hinata tucks the packet inside of her green obi, then smoothes down her kimono, purple and shimmering like an iris in sunlight.

"I would like to stop by the flower shop," Hinata says, slowly, so that she will not stumble over her words; so that she will not give herself away. "My mother liked peonies."

"Eh? Fine," Karin mutters. "Let's make this quick. I still have work to get done this afternoon." She grabs Hinata's arm and practically drags her out of the room, down the stairs, and into the bright sunshine.

Konoha looks the same as it always does: bustling shops, children running in the central square, the busts of the Hokage looming on the monument. The sun burnishes their huge faces, making them look golden. Their carved eyes all seem to glint and stare at Hinata as she makes her slow progress down the central street towards the flower shop.

"I'm going to go grab some makeup," Karin says, waving lazily. "I'll meet you out front in ten."

"Yes, oneesan," Hinata says, affecting a bored tone. In actuality, her hands are shaking, and her heart is thumping in her chest. This is perfect.

She will be alone with Ino, who always works Monday afternoons. Hinata has bought flowers regularly since becoming a geisha—Ino knows her. Trusts her. Now is her chance. Hinata bows to Karin, then enters the flower shop, the door jangling closed behind her.

"Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop. Can I help you?" asks a tall, blonde woman at the counter. Hinata frowns.

"Um…is Ino in today?" Hinata asks.

The woman shakes her head. "I'm afraid she's helping to run shifts at the hospital today. I'm her mother."

"O-oh."

"Is there anything you're looking for in particular?" the woman says, coming forward with a bright smile.

Hinata bites her lower lip and bows her head. "P-peonies. White peonies."

"Ah, the symbol of purity, wealth, and romance. Is this a gift for a boyfriend, or…?" she says, handing Hinata the bunch of flowers.

Hinata doesn't say anything, just takes the flowers, places a few coins in the woman's hands, and scurries out of the shop. The door slams closed behind her.

"Took you long enough," Karin mutters, taking Hinata's arm in hers. Hinata doesn't respond. Karin gives her an inquisitive look, but remains silent. They walk in silence to the east side of town, where elaborate rose hedges border the walkways. They are just starting to bud with white flowers.

Hinata hardly notices where they are walking, doesn't take note of the guards that wave her through the ornate gates. Her nose is full of the sweet smell of the peonies, and her heart is full of grief and regret. Marigolds and rue would have been better flowers to bring, Hinata thinks, as she lays her white peonies down on her mother's grave. She kneels on the cold, hard stone and prays, forcing her tears back with all her might so that her makeup will not smudge.

There has to be another way.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading! Please review;)_


	4. Because I Wanted To

Hi friends! Sorry for the long wait for an update, my goodness, life has been insane. After house hunting for a year and a half, we are finally moving to a rental that will be okay for me (I have special housing needs because of my health; it can make things tricky!). I've been running around, trying to get my work done while doing a ridiculous amount of packing and cleaning and all that stressful stuff that goes with moving.

And today...I totally got sick. Which is great news for you, because I can actually relax, be in my PJ's all day, and update my fic:) My beta, **Uchiha.s**, was nice enough to edit this for me though she was very busy, so special thanks to her!

In other news, after a looooong string of rejections, I just got a short piece of creative writing accepted for publication! It will be my first published piece in print, and it is to a literary magazine that is pretty hard to get into, so I'm pretty happy about that. If you would like the link, feel free to PM me or let me know in your review:)

Well, enough about me! Thanks so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thanks so much for all your kind reviews, and I will do my best to update when I can:)

* * *

Chapter Four: _Because I Wanted To_

_But beauty is found in the love of impermanent things, and is precious because it is fleeting. If she dies, maybe she can bring some worth—some beauty—to her life. That's freedom, Hinata thinks, or close enough to it that's she's willing to sacrifice her life for it._

"It h-h-hurts to p-p-pee," she stammers, blushing bright red. She stares down at the floor by Kabuto's feet.

"A urinary tract infection? Well, that's not uncommon," Kabuto says, not bothering to look up from Guren's desk. "I can give you herbs to cure that."

"Umm…it really b-b-burns," Hinata adds. "A-also…"

"Spit it out," Guren growls as she shoots her a scathing look. "In case you haven't noticed, we're preparing for war."

"I have a y-y-yellow d-d-discharge," Hinata manages despite her heavy stutter. "It really i-i-itches." Though she is lying, she doesn't have to feign her embarrassment.

Guren and Kabuto share a look.

"It could be gonorrhea," Kabuto says, turning to stare intently at Hinata. Hinata wishes the ground would swallow her whole. "Orochimaru-sama will be displeased if one of his favorite pets has a sexually transmitted disease." Kabuto taps his lip, then reaches out and touches Hinata's forehead. "She feels warm. It could be a fever."

"It's probably just from her blush," Guren grumbles.

"Guren," Kabuto replies silkily, "this could be serious."

"Just give her an antibiotic and be done with it," Guren snaps. "We don't have _time_ for this."

Kabuto shakes his head. "It would be better to test first. You have to use the right antibiotic, or the infection will worsen. I'd do the testing myself, but I don't specialize in gynecological disorders. We should send her to the hospital."

"Are you kidding me?" Guren sputters. "At a time like this?"

"If Misaki has gonorrhea," Kabuto explains in that smooth, smug voice, "then so will Orochimaru's new host body." Hinata suppresses a shiver at that. She doesn't know what is worse: having Kabuto and Guren talk over her head like she is nothing more than a dog, or hearing Sasuke referred to as a _host body._

Guren spears Hinata with a glare, as if this is somehow all _her_ fault. "If that's the case," Guren replies at last, rising from her desk, "I'll take her to the hospital myself. You'll manage without me?" Her tone implies that she doubts it.

"I'll be just fine, Guren-san," Kabuto says, a sycophantic smile curving his lips. "You are dismissed."

"_Dismissed? _This is _my_ office, jackass," she growls, grabbing Hinata's arm and dragging her out of the room. "Kami, I hate that man," Guren mutters, clenching her teeth. Then she turns to Hinata, and stares at her for a long, silent minute. Hinata's knees tremble and her hands shake as she stares at Guren's zori.

"Your makeup is smudged," Guren says at last. "Fix it, and then we'll go. _Hurry._"

Hinata scrambles up to her room and regards her reflection in the mirror, realizing that her powder has run, forming rivulets and blotchy pools on her face. She hadn't realized she had been sweating so profusely. Reapplying her makeup until her face is the perfect mask once more, she wishes she was an ANBU or Root member, if only to have a porcelain mask. It would save her so much time, and it would be so much more substantial than powder and paint. She raises a hand to her face, feeling for the first time how flimsy her mask is. She wonders how much she can really hide behind it.

When Guren hollers up at her from the foot of the stairs, Hinata is torn out of her thoughts and hurries to meet her okasaan. Guren hits Hinata's shoulder with the metal handle of her fan.

"A geisha never scurries like a mouse! Don't you _dare _disgrace me like that in public," Guren snaps, holding her nose high in the air.

"Y-yes, okaasan," Hinata stammers, not daring to touch her smarting shoulder. Guren opens the front door with a grunt, and Hinata is blinded by the bright sunlight outside. She stands, stunned like a startled animal, until Guren takes her by the elbow and hauls her outside.

Hinata does her best to sway like a graceful willow as she walks next to Guren. She hopes that no one notices how loudly her heart is beating, or her wide, fearful eyes. If Guren finds out that Hinata is lying to her…

"Don't look so nervous," Guren snaps. And then, in an undertone: "Our people have altered the jonin registry. Officially, _he's_ on an under cover mission. No one even suspects you. Not yet at least."

Hinata gulps. Guren is talking about Sasuke—that's why she thinks Hinata is so anxious. "Th-thank you, okaasan," Hinata says, feigning relief. She forces herself to take deep breaths, and tries to still the wild beating of her heart.

They walk in silence after that. Hinata focuses on her breath to still her thoughts, and is so intent on this that she almost jumps out of her skin when Guren speaks again.

"You know," Guren says, her usual gruff tone falling away, "I had a son, once."

Hinata turns her head slightly and catches Guren's eye. "You d-did?" she squeaks.

"Mmm. Well, he wasn't really mine—he was my charge from Orochimaru…" Guren's eyes cloud over, and she looks away. Then the expression fades, and Guren's face resumes its usual sternness. Her eyes are cold again. "That was a long time ago."

"What happened to him?" Hinata murmurs, watching Guren's expression closely.

"He died," Guren replies without inflection, turning away from her. But Hinata doesn't miss how Guren's hand flutters up to touch the crystals dangling from her hair pin, the one with a red camille inside.

"Why…why are you telling me this?"

"I'm your okaasan," Guren says, her voice smooth and expressionless. "I really do care about my charges. I just wanted you to know that."

They walk another city block in silence. Hinata mulls over Guren's words, rolls them around in her head, examines them from every angle like a child with a shiny coin. At last, as they reach the hospital doors, Hinata offers Guren a soft smile.

"Thank you, okaasan," she says, placing her hand over Guren's.

Guren brushes her off and _tsks_ at her and for once, her acrimony is endearing. "Come on. Let's get you fixed so we can go _home,_" she mutters.

Inside, the waxy floors of the hospital glow from the glaring lights. It smells like disinfectant, and illness. But Hinata hardly takes note of these things. Her eyes are busy scanning the halls for Ino.

_Kami,_ Hinata prays, _please. Let Ino be here._ She has no other plan—if Ino isn't here…

Hinata shakes her head. She can't think like that. Not now.

Hinata is broken out of her anxious thoughts as Shizune greets them in the waiting room. "Do you have an appointment?" she asks, turning to Hinata.

"We don't need one," Guren answers for her. "We're on Orochimaru-sama's official business. We need an OBGYN. Now."

Shizune's smile fades. "I understand ma'am, but you really need an appointment—"

"I'm sorry," Guren retorts, "I don't think you heard me. I said we need an appointment. _Now."_

Shizune places her hands on her hips and is about to serve an angry reply when a pink-haired medic places a calming hand on her arm.

"Orochimaru-sama's official business?" Sakura calls, her voice bright. "We certainly owe him—he really helped us solve that last bout of pneumonia that came through the village. That man's a genius when it comes to medicine," she says, a dreamy look in her eyes.

This is the first time Hinata's ever seen Sasuke's teammate up close. Orochimaru's words echo in her head: _If you resist me, I'll give orders specifically to kill. Sakura will die, and it will be your fault. _Hinata shivers at the memory, her mouth going dry. Sakura's adoration of Orochimaru is ironic, Hinata thinks; ironic, and misplaced.

"Eh, Sakura-chan, don't look so star-struck," Shizune mutters, as if echoing Hinata's thoughts. "Tsunade-sama is twice the genius he is."

"Can we get a doctor already?" Guren shouts. "I'm a busy woman."

"I'll take her," Sakura says, still beaming. "It would be my pleasure to do Orochimaru-sama a favor."

"Ah—er…um…" Hinata begins, tongue-tied. There is only one doctor that she wants to see, and it is not Sakura. She takes a deep breath. "I d-don't mean to be r-rude, but… Is Ino-san available for an a-appointment? She's a f-friend of mine…"

Guren looks at her sharply. "Just take Sakura," she orders. "I haven't got all day!"

Hinata can feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "Um…" She has to move fast. Hinata grabs Shizune's arm and pulls her close enough to whisper in her ear. "I h-have an STD," she says, hoping that no one overhears her. "From S-sakura-san's t-teammate."

Hinata pulls away quickly, her cheeks burning.

"Oh," Shizune says. "Ooooh my… Er, Sakura, in interest of patient confidentiality, why don't you let Ino handle this one?"

"But—"

"I'd do it myself, but I have a meeting with Tsunade-sama in five minutes. Just—get Ino. Okay?"

Sakura looks like she is going to protest, but finally, her shoulders slump. "Fine. Why don't you come with me, miss," Sakura says, giving Hinata a cross look. "Ino will be with you shortly." Hinata tries not to look too relieved.

"I'll come with her," Guren says, still eyeing Hinata warily.

"That's against procedures, ma'am," Shizune interjects. "You can stay in the waiting room, like the rest of our clients." She gives Guren a look that clearly says that she has caused enough trouble.

"Tch. Fine," Guren mutters, turning away with a sweep of her green kimono. "Just remember, do a good job—you're handling Orochimaru-sama's prized property."

As Guren retreats, Sakura glares at her back with disgust.

"She's r-right, you know," Hinata says, looking down at her hands. If it were Karin standing here instead of Hinata, she might gloat at being called Orochimaru's _prized property._ But Hinata's not gloating, nor is she fishing for pity. She is merely stating the truth.

"No she's not," Sakura replies. "You're not anyone's _property._ Geez, what's up with that lady?"

Hinata looks up at Sakura with a mix of incredulity and confusion. Could it be that Sakura really has no idea? Hinata's vision blurs for a moment, thinking about how it might have all been different if she had become a ninja instead of a geisha. She and Sakura might have been colleagues—friends, even. Then Hinata shakes her head, because she is here now, and she is what she is.

Hinata meets Sakura's expectant gaze. "Please speak about my okaasan with respect," is all Hinata says, her tone giving nothing away.

Sakura spares her an inquisitive glance before gesturing to Hinata to accompany her down the long corridor.

"You look familiar," Sakura says into the awkward silence, her eyes narrowed in thought. Her hand hovers above a doorknob, but she does not turn it. "What's your name?"

"Misaki."

"Surname?"

"I d-don't have one."

Sakura stares at her. "But your eyes—aren't you a Hyuga—"

"N-no. Can I sit down, p-please?" Hinata says, her voice a high-pitched whine.

Sakura's smile doesn't reach her eyes as she mumbles an apology and shows Hinata into the room. "Ino will be here in a minute," Sakura calls with forced cheerfulness. "Please change into a paper gown."

The door clicks closed. Hinata stares down at the floor, tenting her fingers together. Waiting. The problem with being alone is that she has time to think, and her thoughts race like hungry sea birds along the coast hunting for fish.

What is Hinata hoping to accomplish? She opens her hands and stares into her palms, as if the answer is in the empty air she holds. When she had been a child, her only wish had been to please her father: to be strong, just like him. After, when she had entered into Orochimaru's okiya, her one and only goal had been to become free.

Now, her past falls away from her like an old skin. She balls her hands into fists. All these smiling people—Sakura, with her tight-lipped smile, Naruto, with his blinding grin; even the children in the city square laughing and playing tag. Everyone is laughing and smiling except for the geisha, whose smiles never reach their veiled eyes.

Hinata closes her eyes and sees Sasuke, manacled to the wall, his face contorted. His body becoming a home for Orochimaru. Where will Sasuke's spirit go when Orochimaru takes over? Will it fly like a bird, following the setting sun? Or will it hover between this life and the next, trapped in dark caverns under the streets of Konoha?

This tenuous peace, this false peace, is made with blood—her blood, the blood of the geisha, the blood of masked ninja. Blood as red as her lips, as red as Karin's hair; as red as Sasuke's whirling eyes.

Hinata holds a hand to her forehead. Inside of her skull is a message, like a scroll in a bottle, sent out to sea by some shipwrecked sailor. She remembers Sasuke's whispered words, his breath on her neck, his fingers on the small of her back. Her heart swells with sorrow. If she is capable of love, she thinks that she may love Sasuke; and if she is not, then maybe she would have loved him in another lifetime, another story.

She will help Sasuke because she wants to. It is a gift. She will carry out his wish, not because he's asked her to, but _because she wants to_; because it brings her peace. Even if she doesn't manage to save him from death, at least his death will have had some meaning.

Death. What if Hinata dies? If she is found out, she will die. Probably painfully. Slowly. That doesn't stop her or make her shiver, because for the first time in her life, she is _choosing_ to do something. She will deliver the message and do her best to save Sasuke because she chooses to do it; nothing more. If she dies, it is because of her decision. And anyway, she prefers death to serving Orochimaru any longer.

Death, in and of itself, has its own beauty, its own freedom. Life is not permanent, Hinata thinks, and neither is beauty. But beauty is found in the love of impermanent things, and is precious because it is fleeting. She closes her eyes, remembering the cherry blossoms falling at that fateful viewing party, and she smiles. If she dies, maybe she can bring some worth—some beauty—to her life. That's freedom, or close enough to it that's she's willing to sacrifice herself for it.

The door opens with a metal click and Ino steps in, her blonde hair swept up in a high ponytail, her white lab coat fluttering as she closes the door behind her. "Misaki-chan," she says, smiling widely, "it's so good to see you!"

"I missed you on Monday, at the flower shop," is Hinata's subdued reply.

"I've been picking up more shifts at the hospital," Ino explains, sitting across from her. "I think it's my calling."

Hinata smiles, a soft, sad smile. "That's wonderful," she whispers. What a luxury it is to pick your calling, Hinata thinks. She wonders what she would have chosen for herself, if she had been granted the choice. Hinata shakes her head, then balls her hands into fists once more.

She is choosing now.

That has to be worth something.

"So, Misaki-chan, what seems to be the problem?" Ino says, poising her pen above her clip board.

"Ino-san…are there cameras in this room? Microphones?"

Ino blinks. "No, of course not! Why…?"

Hinata takes a deep breath. No hesitation. No regrets. She rises from her chair with slow, aching movements, takes Ino's hands and places them on either side of her head.

"I have a m-message," Hinata says. "Hurry."

"I'm sorry," Ino replies, her brows furrowed in confusion, "I don't—"

"Do it," Hinata says, her hands tightening around Ino's. "Quickly."

Ino is about to protest, but something about the urgency in Hinata's voice makes her pause. "You mean mind jutsu?" Ino whispers. Hinata nods.

Ino flashes the hand-signs, then presses her forehead to Hinata's. The room tilts and Hinata's vision goes black. When her sight clears, Hinata sees Ino floating like a ghost on a black field, like a night without stars. Without thinking, Hinata reaches up, up, up, and takes hold of a floating ball of red light. Somehow, she knows that it is Sasuke's chakra. It's as light as a balloon, and as it pulsates, it reminds her of a phosphorescent jellyfish.

"It's all in here," Hinata whispers, holding out the ball of light in her trembling hands. "It's Sasuke-san's message."

"Sasuke? But—"

"He's being held captive by Orochimaru," Hinata interjects, surprised at how steady and calm her voice is. "By tomorrow, Orochimaru will steal Sasuke-san's body—and he will start a war with it."

Ino inhales sharply. "Misaki—what are you saying?"

And because Hinata has never been good with words, she opens up her mind, and shows Ino everything—seducing Sasuke and stabbing him in the neck; his imprisonment below the okiya; the pile of knives on Guren's desk. She doesn't spare herself. She shows the whole truth, and her own shameful hand in it.

Ino pulls back from Hinata's mind. Hinata blinks blindly into the sudden florescent light, finding herself standing in the hospital once more. She raises her gaze to see Ino, pale and shaking. Hinata puts a hand over hers.

"Act normally," Hinata urges. "Finish the exam. But get to the Hokage as soon as you can. If Konoha attacks Orochimaru first, you might have a chance of winning." She says _you_ instead of _we;_ there is no doubt in her mind that she stands on the wrong side of this war.

Ino blinks up at Hinata, her blue eyes filled with tears. Hinata just smiles, pats her hand, and draws away. "Please help me to untie my obi, Ino-san," she says, feeling strangely calm. Detached. As Ino helps her into her paper robe and proceeds with the exam, Hinata's mind is many miles away.

For the first time in a long time, she feels like she's finally free.

#

"I'm sorry, Guren-san, but it seems like Misaki has contracted venereal disease," Ino says, straight-faced. Hinata is surprised by how well Ino can wear a mask of equanimity. She would have made an excellent geisha, Hinata thinks with a twinge of melancholy. "Please make sure Misaki-chan takes this antibiotic three times a day for the next week, and she should be just fine."

"Great," Guren says, grabbing the medication and hooking Hinata's arm with hers. "Next time," Guren calls to Ino as she and Hinata exit, "don't take so long."

Hinata doesn't dare to look over her shoulder to gauge Ino's reaction. Instead, she focuses on taking short, mincing steps as she follows Guren. At first, she feels peaceful. But as soon as they exit the hospital doors, Hinata's anxiety grows. Maybe the room really was wired. Maybe the Root will come after her. Torture her. Kill her. Or worse.

Her palms sweat. With every step, Hinata expects to be apprehended, punished for insubordination. When they reach the okiya and nothing happens, Hinata has to fight the urge to wilt with relief.

"Are you all right?" Guren asks, locking the door of the okiya behind her.

"F-fine," Hinata mumbles, her hands shaking.

"You don't have to feel ashamed, you know," Guren says, her voice taking on a soothing, motherly tone. "You won't have been the first girl to have contracted this sort of thing. Go to your room and rest," Guren murmurs, pushing the medication into Hinata's hands. "I'll have the servants bring you tea."

"Th-thank you, okaasan," Hinata says, bowing. She makes her way up the stairs slowly, so as not to give any of her emotions away. When she enters her room, she falls down on her bed, suddenly dizzy, and weary. True to her word, Guren sends up a pot of chamomile tea. Hinata raises herself on wooden elbows and forces herself to sip.

It won't be long now, she tells herself. Soon, there will be fighting on every street, on every roof top. The door to the okiya will burst open, and masked ANBU will pour into the house, looking for Orochimaru. Looking for her.

After all, she, too, is a traitor.

Hinata sips her tea, though it does little to soothe her.

#

It is around midnight when Guren storms into the bedroom, her usually perfect hair in disarray. "It's happening!" she hisses. "We're under attack." Then she slams the door behind her, and Hinata, who hadn't been sleeping anyway, sits straight up in bed. She throws off her nightgown, revealing dark, tight-fitting clothes, a weapons pouch on one hip, the packet of antidotes on the other. She leaps down the stairs, meeting Guren at the bottom.

"Come on," Guren orders, grabbing Hinata's hands, "we've got to get to the tunnels."

Hinata doesn't protest, lets Guren lead her to the sliding stone door. After all, the tunnels are Hinata's final destination, too. Their shoes make hollow thudding sounds as they run down, down, down, threading through the tunnels at full speed. It's hard to take deep breaths. The air is stale, smothering, and reeks of mold, but Guren doesn't slow her pace as she pulls Hinata behind her.

The entrance to the training room glows red and gold from torchlight. Inside, hundreds of geisha kneel on tatami mats, their heads bowed, their usual kimonos shed in favor of tight black clothing. Guren kneels next to Karin, whose red eyes glint like faceted stones as she watches Hinata, kneeling in turn.

"They found out, somehow," Karin whispers to Hinata, leaning forward so that she can look into her eyes. She tilts her head and regards Hinata sharply. When Hinata does not reply, Karin clears her throat. "Not that it matters. We'll still crush them."

Hinata nods her head, then settles back on her knees, gazing resolutely at her clasped hands.

"Don't be nervous," Guren whispers, her dark eyes kind. "You'll do fine. Orochimaru will be with you—you won't be in any danger." Hinata almost laughs at the irony in that statement, but she presses her lips into a thin line and simply nods. Guren looks like she is going to say more, but Orochimaru himself strides into the center of the cavern. A hush falls over the room, and all eyes regard their master, dressed in a plain off-white tunic, a purple rope tied around his waist. Hinata stares at him, traces the line of his long face, his amber eyes, and then stifles a relieved sigh.

He does not have the Sharingan.

Sasuke is still alive.

"My friends," Orochimaru says, sibilant and slow, "it seems that Konoha has found out about our little plan. No matter." He chuckles darkly. "We have weapons that they can't even dream of." He gestures broadly then, and Hinata feels twin sharp pains on her upper arms—she knows that feeling. Her chakra restraints have been released.

Hinata looks down at her hands, clasping them tighter to still their trembling. She has delivered Sasuke's message, told Ino everything that had happened to Sasuke—but had she told her about the curse mark? About how Orochimaru has been hiding a small army in plain sight? Hinata tries to think back, but she isn't sure, she's never had a mind link with another person before, oh gods—what if they don't know?

Hinata steadies her breathing and forces herself to pay attention to Orochimaru's orders. The geisha all rise at his command, and Karin grabs Hinata's arm.

"Come on," she orders, pulling Hinata to the front of the room. Hinata gulps. They are standing right next to Orochimaru.

"My favorite pets," Orochimaru says, laying a hand on Hinata and Karin's heads. "It won't be long now. We wait for the signal," he bellows to the whole room.

When the ground above their heads shudders, as if from a great impact, and the ceiling seems to groan, Orochimaru smiles. "Suna is attacking. Go!" he roars. The women leap away, in squads of four, out of the door and down the myriad tunnels. Orochimaru himself is running, and Karin is pulling Hinata after him. She stumbles forward in the thick darkness, struggling to breathe.

She activates her Byakugan and tries to do a sweep of the tunnels, but she can't locate Sasuke—she is running too fast to focus, and the tunnels are swarming with people. It's not just geisha running to take their places. There are ninja loyal to Orochimaru, and creatures laying in wait in the tunnels. Things. Hinata shivers.

They break through to the surface all in a rush, and Hinata finds herself in an abandoned storefront. She takes deep, gulping breaths of air, then sweeps her gaze from side to side. They are in the center square. Where yesterday there were laughing children playing tag, today a group of Suna soldiers clash with Konoha nin. Dead bodies are already piling up; blood pools in the dusty street.

"Find the Hokage," Orochimaru whispers.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Karin calls, closing her eyes. Her brow furrows, then a smile dawns across her face. "There—at two o'clock, only one hundred meters away."

"Misaki," Orochimaru purrs, "what do you see?"

Left without any choice, Hinata focuses her Byakugan. "The Hokage is f-fighting a group of five ninja—they're all wearing the purple rope," she says.

"The sealing team. Very good. Very, very good. You two stay here—when I'm done with Minato, I'll come for you. Stay safe," he says, gazing at Karin and licking his lips. "I'll need your delicious chakra after the battle."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," both Hinata and Karin chime at once. Orochimaru opens the boarded-up door, flashes a serpentine smile, and exits. Hinata watches him with enhanced vision as he sprints through the battlefield, not stopping until his long sword clashes with Minato's. Suddenly, a barrier springs up, baring both the Hokage and Orochimaru from Hinata's sight.

"The Hokage won't be able to teleport out of that barrier," Karin confides. "He'll be toast."

"O-oh." Hinata thinks about that. _Toast._ She imagines Minato's face—not the one glaring down from the Hokage's monument, but his real, human face. She shouldn't feel bad for the man, she tells herself. He's the one who finalized her bill of sale, who embedded chakra restraints on her arms. Nevertheless, her heart sinks at the thought.

Her Byakugan still active, Hinata gazes around her at the battlefield. It's chaos. Suna and Kohona forces clash over the face of the entire city, while Orochimaru's ninja lay in wait, killing from the shadows with hidden knives and forbidden jutsu. She looks out towards the Uchiha district and frowns. The whole area is on fire. Hinata turns off her Byakugan with a sigh.

"Where is the Root?" Hinata asks. "I don't see them anywhere."

Karin shrugs. "Hell if I know. They should be fighting with us…"

Hinata sits on top of an old crate and tents her fingers together. This is hell, Hinata thinks. Not just the war, but the waiting, while all around her, the sounds of death ring out: the clang of metal on metal, muffled cries, rumbling explosions. She regards the boarded-up store window, its ledge covered in dust. In the corner is the biggest spider web she's has ever seen, and at its center is a spider the size of her fist. It stares at her with gleaming, compound eyes. Hinata looks away quickly.

Just then, the entire window—boards and all—come crashing down. Hinata leaps to her feet, her Byakugan active, kunai clutched in each hand. Something heavy lands with a sickening thud on the dusty store floor.

It is a body. Hinata peers closer, sees that it has a Konoha headband. Its chakra pathways are no longer active.

_It,_ Hinata thinks. When did a human body become an _it?_ Hinata stares at the body in wonderment, her enhanced eyes taking in the grimace on the face, the blood oozing out of a fatal chest wound.

"We should get back to the tunnel," Karin hisses, grabbing Hinata's hands. She looks like she is about to say more, but she cannot—there is an explosion, and they are thrown back by the force of it. What is left of the window shatters. The ceiling falls. Hinata's back hits the far wall with a smack, and she falls to the floor, covering her head with her hands. When the debris clears, Hinata coughs, forcing herself up on her hands and knees. Beside her, Karin moans.

Without thinking, Hinata hefts Karin up and stumbles back towards the tunnel through thick clouds of dust. Thank Kami, the opening is still there, though it is half obscured by the wreckage. Hinata ducks into the tunnel, dragging Karin after her.

She checks Karin for injury, and is relieved when she finds none except a bruise on Karin's head.

"Mi-sa-ki," Karin mumbles, her eyes fluttering open.

"I'm sorry, oneesan," Hinata whispers, gathering chakra into her palm. She gives Karin one quick strike with the heel of her hand, and Karin's eyes loll back into her head. Hinata gulps, then hauls Karn's limp body deeper into the tunnels, where she isn't likely to be injured by further explosions

Hinata rises on shaky limbs, searching the tunnels with her Byakugan for Sasuke. At first, she doesn't see him, but she forces more chakra into her eyes, desperate with the belief that he is somewhere in the tunnel. There—his chakra is terribly faint, a bare pulsing of light. He is many meters away.

"Be safe, oneesan," Hinata whispers, leaning over Karin's prone form. Then she is gone, running through the tunnels as fast as her aching back permits, down through the dark labyrinth under the city.

#

The underground laboratory is one that Hinata has never been to before. Myriad tanks glow with green bubbling liquid, and jars full of nightmarish limbs and organs line every shelf. Hinata tries her best not to look at them, and instead focuses her tired eyes on finding Sasuke.

He in the back of the room, laid out on a white operating table, his hands and feet bound with restraints. There is spittle on the corner of his mouth, and he is pale under the florescent light, his skin almost translucent. Her heart sinks at the sight, but she forces herself to stride forward. She tries to release the manacles, but she cannot. She cannot find a key hole on them and she curses, then focuses her Byakugan on the metal shackles.

Inside the smooth metal surface there are complicated coils. She can see chakra pulsing like electricity through the cuffs, and she realizes with a start that they are draining Sasuke of his chakra—not enough to hurt him, but just enough to debilitate him. Hinata takes a deep breath and forces chakra into her fingertips. She will have to be precise.

With a strangled cry, Hinata brings down her fingertips like a blade, blazing with blue chakra. There is a loud _crack_ that resounds through the cavern. She has broken the first shackle. Buoyed with her success, she aims for the second restraint, when Sasuke's eyes flutter open.

"…Hinata?" His voice is so faint, Hinata isn't even sure she heard him. His eyes are bloodshot and glazed with a blue film, so that his eyes look almost purple, like a bruise.

"Stay still, Sasuke-danna," she says, getting over her shock. She raises her hand, her eyes bulging in her head. She won't miss her mark. Her hand smashes down on the second shackle, but instead of a satisfying crack, there is a sizzling sound, and a burst of light. Hinata is thrown back, her hand burning.

Hinata grits her teeth and forces herself to stand, ignoring the pain. Limping forward, she focuses her Byakugan and raises her hand once more. Her chakra scorches her injured palm, but she doesn't feel it—every ounce of her concentration is focused on the shackle.

With a cry, she slams her hand down—_crack!. _The manacle falls away. Both of Sasuke's hands are free now. She studies his chakra network, relieved to see that power is returning to Sasuke's system. She looks up into his eyes, no longer filmed but clear like a black cloudless night.

"I thought you hated me," Sasuke rasps.

Hinata shakes her head. "N-no," she whispers, keeping her face free of expression. She breaks free of his gaze and turns toward the manacles on his feet.

"Why?" comes Sasuke's gravelly voice.

Hinata looks up at him with a start. He coughs, wheezes, then sits up. Hinata winces. The movement looks painful for him.

"Let me break your restraints, Sasuke-danna," Hinata replies, turning away from his gaze once more. But he reaches out a cold hand and cups her cheek, and turns her head to face him.

"Who sent you?"

"No o-one," Hinata says. "I came here m-myself. B-because I w-wanted to." Once the words are out of her mouth, Hinata blushes. They sound stupid to her.

"My message?"

"Sent," Hinata replies softly. "Konoha attacked first." She meets his gaze then without flinching. "It is why you are still alive." Hinata chokes up at that. His hand falls away from her face, and Hinata moves to regard the shackles on his feet. She can feel the weight of Sasuke's stare on her, but she ignores it. The only thing that is important is breaking his manacles.

Her hand strikes the third restraint, and it falls away with another loud crack. Panting with exertion, forehead beaded with sweat, Hinata makes her way to the fourth and final shackle. She squints and raises her aching hand.

"I thought I'd find you here," rumbles a velvety voice. Hinata squeaks and spins around. Kabuto stands in the shadows, his glasses glinting, scalpels clutched in both hands. "So. Misaki has turned traitor after all," he says with a chuckle, his smile malicious. He takes a step forward. Hinata's breath hitches in her throat. She tries to back away from him, but only manages to press her back against the metal rack holding Sasuke.

Hinata trembles under Kabuto's glare, and her eyes dilate with fear. Kabuto raises a scalpel high in the air—it crackles with blue chakra.

"Don't just stand there," Sasuke snaps, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. "Fight him!"

"But—"

"Do it, Hinata. Or we're both as good as dead," he growls. "Now!"

Kabuto lunges forward, his blades slicing through the air at her. There's no time to think. Hinata's doujutsu activates as if of its own accord, and she flies forward, fists glowing. She barely manages to counter Kabuto's blades by blocking his arms, then rolls out of the way and springs back up to her feet.

"You can't defeat me," Kabuto murmurs, his mouth twitching upwards in a smirk. "You might as well give up now."

Hinata is taking deep, irregular breaths. From the corner of her eye, she can see Sasuke manipulating what little chakra he has to break his shackle. If she can just buy more time…

"I'll be d-dead, either w-way," Hinata stammers. "If I give up or if I f-fight, the result will be the s-same. I'd rather f-fight."

"All this for a boyfriend," Kabuto mutters. "You were Orochimaru's prized—"

"P-piece of f-furniture," Hinata interrupts. She feels something hot and burning, welling up like lava in the pit of her stomach. For a moment, she can't identify the feeling. It's so foreign to her because she's been denied the ability to feel it for so long. But when her eyes flash red, and her curse mark sizzles on her skin, she recognizes the emotion for what it is:

Rage.

"Excuse me?" Kabuto says with a smirk.

"I was n-nothing more than an o-object to any of you," Hinata mutters. She lets the first stage of her curse mark take over. Talons sprout from her fingertips; fangs descend from her frowning mouth.

"No," Kabuto counters with that self-satisfied smirk, "you were more like a favorite pet. A dog. Or a pot-bellied pig."

Hinata growls, an inhuman, animal sound. She can't help herself—she lunges forward, her teeth bared, her talons outstretched.

But Kabuto isn't stupid. He morphs himself, a slithering mass of snakes. Hinata hacks at them, slices through the air, her eyes seeing through things and under things—she will find a vital organ and she will puncture it—

Hinata gasps as a snake coils around her midsection, squeezing her. Kabuto laughs, a dark, evil sound.

"You can't defeat me, little girl," he says, still in that silken, sibilant voice.

Hinata can't speak, she has no breath, but she thinks to herself: _At least I can die trying._

She opens up to the curse mark once more to that familiar, bitter and burning feeling. Her skin becomes leathery, then is covered in a layer of scales as hard as steel. She forces Kabuto off of her, filled with such feelings of hatred and anger that she roars.

"Amazing," Kabuto hisses, his serpentine face smiling, "how something so beautiful can become so _ugly_."

Goaded, Hinata dives in to strike head first, her jaws parted, her fangs poised to sink into his skin—

She is struck from behind on a vital point and crumples to the ground with a cry. She feels blood trickling down the small of her back and she growls, scampering back from Kabuto to avoid his cruel blades.

"It's a shame you have that branch seal," Kabuto hisses, advancing on her slowly. "I would have enjoyed trying on your Byakugan."

Hinata clenches her teeth and crouches in a defensive position, her whole body trembling. The room is growing dim, and Hinata realizes with certainty that she has been stabbed with poison. There's no time to administer the antidote. Kabuto is looming over her, his snake skin body glinting metallically in the low light.

The chakra fades from her hands, which fall limply at her sides. She sways, stumbles, somehow manages to stand again. Not that it does her any good. Kabuto reels back his ugly head, and Hinata watches, powerless to move, as he strikes.

Hinata closes her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. This is the death she has chosen for herself.

She can finally be free.

She releases her jutsu and lets herself fall into the great, yawning darkness that presses in all around her. She hears a resounding crack, and sees a flash of light, like lightning streaking the stormy sky. She feels herself lifted up into that bright, beautiful light.

* * *

_Thanks so much for reading! Please review;)_


	5. He Answers Her Question

Just...fml. Seriously, I could give you excuses for why this update took so long, but I'm sure you don't care. So thanks for forgiving me in advance, and here's the next chapter, lol.

Wink:)

* * *

Chapter Five: _He Answers Her Question_

"…_Hinata… Hinata…_"

Hinata can hear her name, though it is a faint echo. She is surrounded by mist, pale and opaque; she feels like she is on the shrouded face of the moon. She walks through the diffuse light, blindly searching. She's sure her mother is here, somewhere, calling for her. Hinata smiles. She's waited such a long time to see her.

It's so freeing to be out of her body, Hinata thinks. In life, her body was never her own, but here, her spirit is free and light.

A shadow blocks the light. Hinata turns towards it with a wide smile.

"Okaasan?" she whispers, tears trailing down her face. The figure does not move. All Hinata can see clearly are a pair of dark, smoky eyes.

_Wake up, Hinata._

"I don't want to wake up," Hinata replies into the darkness, her voice reverberating. "I like it here."

_Hinata? Please? Wake up._

"Okaasan?" Hinata calls again. The mists shift, and the dark eyes come closer, glaring at her, peering into her soul. She shivers. "Okaasan…?" Hinata whispers, suddenly afraid.

The dark eyes snap wide open, whirling with red light. Hinata's breath hitches in her throat. The eyes burn like twin suns, crimson and cadmium, dyeing the once white world with rutilant light.

_WAKE UP!_

Hinata sits up with a gasp, her eyes wide open, her heart pounding. Sasuke hovers over her, his fist clenching a hypodermic needle. Dimly, Hinata realizes that the needle protrudes from her arm. Hinata glances from the needle to Sasuke. His eyes are swirling with the red Sharingan, casting crimson light over his pale face.

"Sasuke…?" Hinata whispers. The irony of the situation isn't lost on her: not long ago, it was she who had jabbed a needle into his veins to incapacitate him.

Sasuke exhales sharply. He yanks the needle out of her arm, then shoves a cloth bundle at her. She takes it in her trembling fingers. It is her packet of antidotes.

"You saved my l-life," Hinata breathes, staring down at her hands.

"That makes us even," Sasuke snaps. He holds out his hand to her, and she takes it, slowly. He hauls her to her feet, making the room lurch. Hinata makes a pained, wheezing sound, then looks around her. Kabuto is lying on the floor, his eyes rolled back in his head.

"Is he…?" Hinata asks, her question half-formed.

"Dead? No," Sasuke mutters. "That would be too good for the bastard. Come on," he says, turning to Hinata, his eyes still blood-red with the Sharingan, "how do we get out of here?"

Hinata takes a deep, shuddering breath, and activates her doujutsu. She looks at Sasuke's meridians with concern—he is dangerously low on chakra. For that matter, so is she. But there is no choice, Hinata thinks, forcing her blurry vision to focus. She sees Karin's body right where she left her in the tunnels—her dimly pulsing chakra shows Hinata the way back to the surface.

Hinata deactivates her jutsu in an effort to conserve her chakra and nods. "This way, Sasuke-danna."

Sasuke's mouth turns down when she says the honorific _danna,_ but he doesn't comment as he follows her out of the laboratory and into the dark tunnels.

"You should deactivate your doujutsu," she whispers. "You're low on chakra."

"I'm fine," he retorts. "If we're ambushed, I'll need my Sharingan activated."

"Um…" Hinata's cheeks flush, and she falls into silence. She traces the tunnel walls with her hand to keep her bearings and weaves slowly upward, back the way she came.

"Sasuke-danna…?" Hinata ventures into the thick silence.

"What?" Sasuke snaps.

"I… I'm s-sorry."

"Tch. Don't be. You did what you had to do."

"B-but I—"

"We have more important things to worry about," he interjects. "Concentrate on getting us out of here."

"A-ah. O-okay."

Hinata stills her whirling thoughts and focuses on finding the right path. Still, the weight of Sasuke's eyes on her back makes her skin prickle and her palms sweat. There are so many questions she wants to ask him, but she does not. She does not even know where to begin.

They come to a juncture, and Hinata is forced to use her Byakugan again. Though her vision burns and her body shudders with the effort, she finds Karin in the tunnels above and moves towards her, like a ship steering towards a lighthouse.

When they finally reach Karin, Hinata sinks to her knees next to her unconscious oneesan, panting heavily.

"I'm going on," Sasuke mutters. "I'm needed out there."

"Wait." Hinata grabs his sleeve. "Karin can help us."

"Why would she?" Sasuke growls, impatient. "She's loyal to Orochimaru—"

"Watch," Hinata interrupts. She takes Karin's arm and rolls up the sleeve. Even in the dim light, Hinata can see the scars that mar her pale skin, teeth marks where Orochimaru and others have bitten. Hinata feels queasy, but she forces herself to take a deep breath and to focus on the matter at hand.

_We all take what we can get, and we survive, day by day, by any means we can. _Hinata hears Karin's voice in her head, like the echo of a bell. Without hesitating any further, Hinata bites.

Chakra runs through her like a wild electric current. The trickling wound on her back seals shut, and her chakra levels are replenished, like a dam flooding a once-dry river bed. Hinata opens her jaw with a cry, releasing Karin's arm.

Karin sputters awake. "Misaki? Sasuke...? Sasuke-kun! Misaki, what the hell is Sasuke doing here?" Karin growls, yanking Hinata's arm. "And why are you biting me? And what—"

Hinata places a hand over Karin's mouth. "Sorry, oneesan. I was injured."

Karin slaps Hinata's hand aside. "That's not important—what is Sasuke—"

"Escaping, obviously," Sasuke snaps. "Give me your arm."

"But—"

"Karin. Please. I need chakra," Sasuke grounds out between partially clenched teeth.

Karin looks between Hinata and Sasuke with narrowed eyes. "Fine," she finally huffs, throwing out her arm to Sasuke. "It's not like it's the first time."

"Thank you. Karin."

"I'm just glad…I'm just glad that you're all right, Sasuke-kun," Karin whispers, looking away. Sasuke bites her arm, and Karin moans lowly. Hinata stares at them in the darkness, her face pinched, her mouth puckered as if she's just eaten something sour. Karin has never revealed to Hinata her whole history with Sasuke. All Hinata knows is that Karin has spent ample time with Sasuke on undercover missions. This not-knowing makes her insides churn, though Hinata tells herself she doesn't know why she should feel this way.

Karin slumps against the wall of the tunnel, breathing heavily. "Go," she rasps. "I don't want to be seen helping you."

"Oneesan…" Hinata mumbles.

"You think I'm helping you just to be nice?" Karin growls. Her eyes have a hard glint to them. "If Konoha wins this war, Sasuke-kun, remember everything I've done for you. Now go!" Karin cries, her red eyes flashing. Hinata meets Karin's gaze, sees the sadness underlying the anger. Karin loves him, Hinata thinks, feeling cold all over.

Hinata bites her lip and turns away from Karin to scuttle after Sasuke, up through the last stretch of tunnel and into the gray, dusty light of the blown-out shop above.

"Where's Orochimaru?" Sasuke asks, growling low in his throat. Hinata gulps, then activates her doujutsu. The barrier in the center square is down—this means that either the Fourth Hokage has defeated Orochimaru, or… Not wanting to think of the alternative, Hinata quickly scans the battlefield.

It's hard to zero in on a particular chakra signature. Everything is a jumble of jutsu, of flying weapons, shifting earth, and explosives. Gritting her teeth, Hinata squints into the melee, hoping that she won't find Orochimaru at all. Her heart sinks when she finally does find him, and she exhales sharply.

"He's by the base of the Hokage tower, fighting Naruto-kun," Hinata says grimly.

Sasuke gnashes his teeth. "That idiot," he mutters under his breath. Then to Hinata: "You stay here. I'm going after them."

Hinata turns toward him with wide eyes. "I'm going with you."

"You've done enough," Sasuke retorts. She can tell from his tone that this is not a compliment. "Stay here, out of harm's way."

Hinata shakes her head. "I'll be useful, Sasuke-danna."

"Don't _call_ me that," Sasuke snarls. "I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you. Come with me or not—I don't care." With that, he leaps out onto the street and hurtles towards the Hokage's tower.

Hinata stands still for a moment, chilled. Then she balls her hands into fists and runs after him, her eyes bulging with chakra.

She will make this up to Sasuke. She will.

The streets are slick and slippery. At first Hinata thinks the earth is wet with water, and almost runs head-first into a wall when she realizes it is not. It is fresh blood. She gives a pained cry as her feet slip in the gore. Just as she steadies herself, there is an explosion to her right, and the building she stands next to catches on fire. She barely has time to duck as it collapses all around her, great clouds of plaster and dust mushrooming all around her.

She pries herself free of the wreckage, coughing and wheezing, bowed forward on her knees. The air smells like burnt hair and flesh, overlaid with the acrid stench of burning plastic. When she catches her breath, she sprints forward, though her lungs ache. She skirts the open areas and hugs the buildings, hoping that the dark night will hide her flitting form as she runs towards the Hokage's tower.

When she finally gets there, she is panting and doubled over from exertion. She hides herself behind a corner and focuses her Byakugan on the scene in front of her, then holds a hand up to her mouth in horror.

Orochimaru stands on the head of a giant snake. His head is thrown back, and he is laughing.

"Ku, ku, ku, Naruto-kun. I know you're eager to die, but I can't send you to your father just yet—I have orders to take you alive."

Terrified, Hinata watches as Naruto rises from the ground on shaking feet. "You killed my father," he seethes, his once blue eyes sparking with red fire.

"Back down, Naruto," comes Sasuke's commanding voice. He appears out of nowhere, standing between Naruto and Orochimaru, bathed in blue light. In his hand, he holds a crackling ball of lightning. "You're injured. Let me handle this."

"Like hell I will, asshole!" Naruto shouts. He growls, a low, inhuman sound. Red light blossoms from his skin.

"Don't use _that,_" Sasuke orders. "It's what he wants you to do." And without further explanation, Sasuke launches himself forward, a whirl of crackling light. He moves so quickly, even Hinata can't follow him with her Byakugan. Her gaze swivels back to Naruto, who is clutching at his abdomen. Bright red blood seeps onto his clothes.

Without thinking about the danger, Hinata darts forward. To her right, Sasuke and Orochimaru are hidden in a blinding blaze of jutsu. She prays with all her might that Sasuke will be all right, then focuses on Naruto, who is sinking to his knees.

"Misaki?" he calls, his voice hoarse, weak. "You shouldn't be here…"

"Let me see your wound, Naruto-kun," she orders. She takes his free hand, supports him with her shoulder, and drags him to the edge of the battlefield. She lifts up his shirt and winces. "It's poison," she mutters, digging in her packet for the antidote.

"That damn snake bit me," he says. "Misaki-chan…"

Hinata holds the cap to the hypodermic needle in her mouth and administers the antidote into his arm. She hopes that she's picked the right one. What if it doesn't work? What if Naruto dies? Oh Kami, it sounds like Orochimaru has already killed the Hokage—what has she done? If only she had rebelled against Orochimaru sooner...

Naruto leans back against the building, his face ashen. "Misaki-chan, thank you—without your information, Konoha would have been—"

"S-stop," Hinata stammers, tears clouding her eyes. "Just—stop. You need a medic. Where's Sakura?"

"Injured," Naruto replies, his eyes narrowed. "It's like Orochimaru was targeting her. Don't worry," he says with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes, "She's all right. Tsunade's got her." He turns towards the battlefield then, his eyes glinting with a hard red light. "I'm going to kill that snake bastard," he seethes, lurching forward on unsteady feet. Hinata tries to hold onto him—to tell him that he should rest—but he shrugs her off.

"I'm going to protect the village," he calls over his shoulder. "You stay here. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you, Misaki-chan."

"Hinata," she blurts out, holding his gaze. "My name is—Hinata." Her name feels strange and wonderful on her tongue, like a song in a foreign language.

"Right. Stay safe, Hinata-chan." He gives her a wide smile, a thumbs up, then speeds forward into the fray, cloaked in fiery chakra. He's so bright, Hinata has to turn away from him. What is this chakra? It's so angry, so evil, it makes her eyes water. She shakes her head to clear her vision—she has to pay attention. If there is any way she can help, no matter how small… Dashing the tears out of her eyes with the heel of her hand, Hinata focuses her Byakugan once more.

It's hard to see exactly what is going on, even with her ocular jutsu. Through the blurred motion and flying debris, Hinata thinks she sees Orochimaru raising his hands, and two wooden boxes emerge from the soil. She can't see through the boxes, which is strange—are the lids made of lead? She doesn't have time to wonder. The boxes snap open. Out steps the First and Fourth Hokages.

Hinata squints. The Fourth Hokage's chakra is…warped. Dark. And though the First Hokage matches his likeness on the monument, he should be dead. Hinata's heart sinks, and she feels like she is being held underwater, as she remembers that according to Orochimaru, the Fourth Hokage is dead, too.

Orochimaru's cruel laughter rings in the air. Hinata's stomach clenches in fear.

_Destroy them,_ Orochimaru roars.

The two Hokages lurch forward, the First Hokage lunging towards Sasuke, and the Fourth rounding on Naruto. Nothing good can come of this, Hinata thinks; the First Hokage defeated Uchiha Madara, and can certainly win against Sasuke. As for Naruto…

She can hear his faint cries echoing along the battlefield as he parries his father's blows, pleading and whining, asking him to _please wake up._

Orochimaru sits cross-legged on the head of his giant snake and laughs, deep and rumbling. _He can't wake up, Naruto-kun, _he taunts. _I own your father, now. Even death cannot claim him from me._

Hinata's vision swims with red. She balls her hands into fists, so overcome with fury, she can barely contain herself. Her curse mark twitches in resonance with her emotions and activates, slowly, like an old wound opening up and leaking blood.

Her face twists into a feral grimace as long fangs protrude from her mouth. Her fingernails lengthen into claws. As she enters the second stage of the curse mark, her skin hardens and is covered with metal scales, but she doesn't stop, she can't stop—maybe if she kills Orochimaru, then his jutsu will stop, oh gods—

The third stage takes over in a rush of vile chakra, running through her networks like black fire, making her eyes bulge with the surge of power. Horns erupt from her head and spikes run down the length of her back. A tail sprouts from the base of her spine, tipped with metal.

It's funny, Hinata thinks, grinning wildly. She's spent so much of her life learning how to be beautiful, artful; perfect. But Orochimaru has also given her the means to be the exact opposite—monstrous. Horrifying. Now, her only wish is to go out in a blazing fire of jutsu and rage—and to take Orochimaru with her.

She sprints down the length of the battlefield, her muscular legs zooming so quickly she's sure even Orochimaru can't see her. She skirts the battle between Sasuke and the First Hokage, neatly avoiding bolts of lightning and shafts of wood shooting out of the ground. Her body hums with power, and her eyes are fixed on one target.

She launches herself up the side of the snake and lands a roundhouse kick on Orochimaru's side. She grins widely, as he falls to the ground—

And disappears in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log. There is no time to react, because a rough hand takes her by the throat, squeezes, lifts her up into the air. She twists, struggles to break free, her legs kicking in the air. Then, she goes limp.

"Ku, ku, ku," Orochimaru laughs, his oily breath fanning out across her shoulder. "You can't beat your master at his own game."

Hinata's eyes bulge, this time from strangulation. She tries to retort, but only a strained gurgle comes out.

"You could have had power—power beyond your wildest dreams. Instead you chose to betray me. You'll pay for that, Misaki."

Hinata lashes out at Orochimaru with her tail, to no avail. Gods, but she hates the way Orochimaru talks—like a super villain in a bad action movie. She wants to tell him how pathetic he is, but his grip on her throat tightens, and pain shoots out all across her body. Her curse mark fades; Orochimaru has inhibited it. As her body shrinks, and she becomes human once more, he brings his face close to hers.

"Now die, Misaki," he hisses.

Hinata watches in horror as Orochimaru pulls a sword out from his mouth, the blade dripping with green phlegm. It swings back through the air with a hissing sound and then, it advances on her, aiming for her outstretched neck. Hinata closes her eyes, bitter tears trickling down her face.

She has been useless to the end. Her father was right about her.

Suddenly, something slams into Hinata's body, sending her hurtling through space. For a moment, she seems to hover in the air, suspended like a soap bubble. Then she falls, dropping through the air like a stone, the ground looming closer and closer—

Strong arms catch her, set her shaking body down.

"Don't get in the way," Sasuke growls. "You're no match for him."

Hinata can't reply—she's collapsed on the ground, struggling to breathe. Sasuke spares her an inscrutable look, and then, he is gone.

"You've underestimated me, Orochimaru," Sasuke's voice rings out. "A man who's already dead can't defeat an Uchiha." Hinata strains to see Sasuke, but she is blinded by a flash of blue light. She curls up into a fetal position, wheezing. Stars dance in her vision. The sharp pain in her neck fades to a dull ache.

Hinata struggles to get up on her hands and knees, forces chakra into her eyes. The whole landscape swirls with ash which lodges in her eyes, making it hard to see. She blinks furiously, then focuses her gaze, trying to get her bearings.

Finally, her vision clears, and she sees that Sasuke has hidden her under the ledge of one of the nearby administration buildings. She creeps out from under it, realizing that besides the smoldering first floor, the rest of the building has been blown into bits. She spares a glance behind her at Konoha's skyline: most of its buildings are smashed and jagged. The city looks like a mouth full of broken teeth.

Hinata grimaces and turns to regard the battle. Sasuke is fighting Orochimaru on the back of the giant snake, while the snake twists and arches its neck, trying to bite Sasuke. She can't see Naruto and the Fourth Hokage nearby but, when she sweeps the landscape with her gaze, she can see their jutsu blazing from a far-off field. She sees the silhouette of six red tails striking the air.

Hinata leans on the broken building, gulping air. She should just stay out of the way, she thinks. Sasuke is right. She isn't strong enough. She's an afterthought to this battle. Even as she thinks these things, she creeps nearer to Sasuke and Orochimaru, coming as close as she can to their battle, even though she knows that it is foolish; that Sasuke will chide her.

She can't bear it, these feelings of incompetence, of _never being good enough._ If she can just do one thing, one brave, foolhardy, heroic act, she can redeem herself. She waits behind the shell of a burnt-out building. Watching. Waiting.

For a moment, Sasuke seems to have the upper hand. He blows out a great plume of fire from his mouth, blinding the giant snake in one eye. The snake gives a great groan, then disappears in a cloud of smoke, while Sasuke and Orochimaru fall through the air. Even while plummeting to the ground, they sill grapple with each other—Sasuke lashes out with lightning, and Orochimaru's arms become a hundred white snakes.

As they hit the ground, Sasuke is lost in a sea of snakes. Hinata stumbles forward, her mouth parted in horror but, a moment later, there is a burst of lightning. The snakes explode in blue light, and Sasuke emerges, as if from an egg, unharmed. Hinata sags in relief, when something catches her eye, something dark and shifting behind Sasuke. Her breath catches in her throat.

Sasuke engages with Orochimaru once more, while the dark _thing_ advances on him. Slowly. Stealthily. Hinata wants to call out, but her throat is still aching, and the words won't get past her lips. She stares at the shadow as it slithers on the ground with the fluidity of a snake. It winds around Sasuke's ankle and pulls him down.

Sasuke falls to the ground with a thud, and Orochimaru laughs, a cruel, biting sound. Orochimaru's arms become snakes again, and they lash out at Sasuke, gnashing their terrible fangs. Sasuke manages to fend most of them off, except for one, which bites him on the ankle.

Even from far away, Hinata gauges which poison Orochimaru has used to infect Sasuke, and finds the antidote in her pouch. She grips the needle in a clammy palm, then crawls forward on her hands and knees, hoping that the low layer of smoke and ash will keep her obscured from view.

Sasuke struggles to get up. But he cannot.

_Don't worry, Sasuke-kuuun,_ Orochimaru practically purrs, staring down at Sasuke's fallen form with a hungry look. He licks his lips. _I won't hurt you. Your body is too perfect of a specimen. I _want_ it._

_Why?_ Sasuke shouts, grimacing with pain. His skin is taking on a sickly pallor again, and his eyes are starting to twitch. _Why attack Konoha?_

Hinata creeps closer. It is less smoky towards the center of the battlefield, and there is little cover, besides the dark night itself. She scurries behind chunks of concrete and other pieces of wreckage, picking out her path as best she can.

_Why attack Konoha? Ku, ku, ku! I thought that was obvious,_ Orochimaru answers with a sneer, twirling his katana in an outstretched hand. With a sinking feeling, Hinata realizes that Orochimaru is waiting for the poison to take effect—waiting to collect his prize.

Hinata trembles with rage. No more. Orochimaru isn't going to _own_ any more people—he isn't going to control Sasuke again. She won't allow it. _She won't! _She hauls herself forward on her belly, crawling on the ground like a snake, and finds the last piece of cover between herself and Sasuke, about twenty feet away from the battle. She focuses her Byakugan, enhances her arm with chakra. Then she throws the needle with precision before slinking back into the wreckage once more.

Sasuke's eyes widen in shock as the needle hits his neck. The force of the throw makes the plunger slam down. The antidote takes effect quickly—Sasuke is on his feet and slicing at Orochimaru with his katana, scoring a hit on Orochimaru's shoulder. Orochimaru howls, but Sasuke doesn't stop—he is a whirl of motion, his sword arcing with lightning, striking Orochimaru again and again.

Orochimaru leaps back, regaining his composure, then flings himself at Sasuke again. This time, Hinata can tell that Orochimaru is enraged. He isn't holding back. Orochimaru bellows out a promise, his voice hysterical and shrill:

_I've had enough of you! If I can't have you, then I'll kill you—I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!_

Orochimaru beats Sasuke back, his arms becoming hundreds of writhing snakes once more. No longer bothering to preserve Sasuke's body, Orochimaru smacks Sasuke in the head with a resounding _crack_, slams his snakes into Sasuke's arms and legs until Sasuke crumples to the ground. Orochimaru flashes a triumphant smile, lifts his katana high in the air.

No.

Hinata speeds forward, her curse mark activating of its own accord. She doesn't have much chakra left; she can feel the curse mark overwhelming her, draining her life-force. Eating her alive. She doesn't care. She flings herself in front of Sasuke, arms outstretched. A human shield.

Though her skin is coated in thick scales, Orochimaru's blade is enhanced with chakra, and it slices through her with a sickening _hiss_.

"Infuriating to the end!" Orochimaru screams, bringing his katana down on her once more. Hinata, still stumbling from the impact of his first blow, draws out a kunai and tries to block the incoming sword. But Orochimaru is too strong, bears down on her with all his weight. His sword slices through her shoulder.

Dimly, she can hear Sasuke calling her name, _Hinata! Hinata!_ But she pays him no mind. She will protect him for as long as she has strength in her body.

Orochimaru pulls back his sword with a growl before the blade darts forward again, this time the point aiming straight for her heart.

_Goodbye, Sasuke-danna,_ she thinks sadly. _I could have loved you._ Disarmed, and without any other means to defend herself, Hinata spreads her arms wide, welcoming the blade.

There is a flash of brilliant crimson chakra. Hinata is borne up in strong arms.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouts. She blinks down at the world below her, now swarming with Konoha ANBU. Then she looks up into Naruto's burning eyes and smiles, weakly, before her vision goes dark.

She's glad she could protect Sasuke-danna until help came. Now, she can die in peace, finally free. She lets go of everything, feels the black chakra from her curse mark overwhelming her. Consuming her.

Hinata smiles softly and loses consciousness.

#

She finds herself in a dark landscape. There are no trees, no buildings; only the flat, dark earth and a black sky overhead, without any stars or moon. She stumbles forward through the inky darkness, feeling like the ground is lurching beneath her.

"Hello?" she calls. "Is anyone there?" No answer. She can hear the ocean roaring in the distance, the sound of static white noise, but she can't see it. She activates the chakra in her eyes. Still nothing. It is the same darkness, eyes opened or closed. She stops moving, afraid she might fall, or stumble into an object. So she stands there, still as a statue, for what seems like hours.

She feels the air becoming cool and moist. When at last dawn pales the sky with gray, she sees that she is ensconced in thick mist. The dim sunlight does nothing to lighten the fog; she still cannot see more than a few inches in front of her nose, Byakugan or no.

_That was really stupid,_ a voice calls, velvety and gruff at the same time. Hinata turns around in a full circle, but can see no one and no thing.

"Hello?" Hinata calls in a small voice. "Who's there?"

_What were you trying to pull, anyway?_ comes the voice again, punctuated with a snarl. _Why do all this for me?_

"S-sasuke?" Hinata says, straining in vain to see. "Sasuke-danna? Is that you?"

_I would have been fine without you. You just got in the way. Now…just look at you. If you don't wake up soon, I'll kill you with my bare hands._

Hinata almost smiles, because the harsh words are spoken in such a grief-stricken voice. She reaches her hands out into the fog but feels nothing.

"You would have d-died without me," Hinata whispers. "I don't regret what I did…Sasuke-danna."

The voice does not speak again. The light in the landscape fades to black, and Hinata is lost in the darkness for a long time. A time when she does not move, and does not think. It's soothing in the darkness; she can't feel all the jumbled emotions that usually torture her. There is no self-doubt here, no shame. She is curiously free.

When dawn comes again, the sky is brighter, and the mists become transparent, like a gauzy curtain. The sun rises in a singular motion to its zenith, and it seems to call to her. She feels her feet peeling of the earth—she is floating, slowly but steadily upwards, towards the light.

_Stay with us, Hinata,_ comes Sasuke's voice, a faint whisper this time. Hinata pauses in her slow passage into the sky and tries to peer through the fog, but she cannot see him.

"Stay with you where?" Hinata asks, confused. She spins around in a circle in midair, but she still can't see anything. Then she looks down. She can see her body laying on the ground, shriveled like a husk, or a shell. It looks very ugly from up here, and dark. It's like an old, tattered dress that no longer fits; Hinata does not want to put it back on. She looks back up towards the misty sun and floats upwards once more.

_Damn it, Hinata—you can't leave!_

"But I _am_ leaving," Hinata calls. She has no reason to stay. She feels like she's finished something important. It's time to move on. She's finally free, with nothing to tether her.

There is a ripple in the world, as if a stone as been thrown into a pond—the mist shivers, and a dark form appears, its features obscured except for two dark eyes. They're not menacing, but deeply sorrowful. Hinata floats closer to the figure, curious, her white eyes peering into the black ones. She reaches out to touch him. Thin wisps of clouds part, and the figure takes her hand. His grip is gentle but firm. His skin is warm and familiar, but his hold seems to bear her downwards, like a weight.

"Why are you keeping me here?" Hinata whispers, looking longingly at the sun. "I'm supposed to go…"

"No," the voice answers. This time, he sounds surprisingly clear—not like a voice in a dream, but a voice speaking right next to her. "Not yet. I won't let you go."

"Is it really you, Sasuke-danna?" Hinata asks, peering into the cloud enshrouding the figure. She still can't see his face, only his twin black eyes. "Why won't you let me go? You haven't answered my question…" Hinata feels a bit petulant. She starting to feel very heavy now from holding onto the figure's hand, and she wants to be light and free again. She starts prying her fingers out of the figure's grip, one by one.

"No—stop! Please! Please don't die, Hinata. Please stay here, with me…" The voice is so plaintive, it makes Hinata wince. She stops wriggling free of his grip, then brings her face close to his, in an effort to see his obscured face. When she does, his eyes whirl red, like two spinning live coals. She feels herself plummeting down to earth like a shooting star, but this time, she doesn't mind. She knows it is him now. She can hear his voice, murmuring her name over and over again, a song, a mantra. Like a moth drawn towards the moon, she follows the sound of his voice…

_Hinata, Hinata, Hinata…_

#

She wakes up with a start, the sunlight stinging her sensitive eyes. She moves to wipe the tears away, but the effort sends shooting pains up and down her arm. She moans. Her whole body is on fire. She squeezes her eyes closed, and the hot tears falling down her cheeks make her skin crawl.

"Hinata…?" comes a breathless voice.

She tries to form words, but all that comes out is a strangled, gurgling sound.

"Thank Kami." He squeezes her hand, but it feels like he is crushing her, and she cries out in pain.

There is a rush of noise after that, the scurrying of many feet, the beeping of a machine. It's all too much for Hinata. She fades out of consciousness again, and it is like falling into a dark, peaceful sea.

#

_Hinata…Hinata…Hinata…_

Hinata hears her name again and her eyes flutter open. This time, the room is blessedly dim, and quiet.

"Hello?" she rasps. She struggles to sit up in bed, but hands hold her shoulders down, gentle but insistent. She blinks up into the darkness, her vision blurred. "Sasuke…?"

"Don't move," he whispers, "you're badly injured."

That makes sense, Hinata thinks; her skin feels hard and hot, like she's been severely burned. But the burning feeling is inside of her too, traveling along all of her meridians, a black, aching feeling. She feels hollow; burnt out.

"O-oh," is all she says. She can't quite remember what happened to her. Was she caught in a house fire? If the okiya caught on fire… "Is Karin all right?" Hinata asks urgently, coughing with the effort to speak.

"Calm down," Sasuke orders. "Karin is fine."

"…Guren?"

Even with her blurry vision, she can tell Sasuke is looking away from her. "Let me get the doctor. Don't. Move."

As if she had much choice, Hinata thinks. Feeling weary, Hinata closes her eyes and falls into sleep.

The third time she wakes up, she blinks up into two dark eyes that bore down on her.

"…Sasuke?" Hinata asks. She is pleased to note that her voice no longer rasps like a rusty hinge, but she is perturbed by the way Sasuke is staring at her. Her vision is clearer than before, but objects are still blurred around the edges. It looks like there is a black cloud hovering around Sasuke, and it takes Hinata a minute to realize that it is just his hair, unbound and falling around his shoulders. He's very beautiful, Hinata thinks; like a running watercolor painting.

"What?" Sasuke says, his voice without inflection. He is only a few inches from her face; his breath sighs against her cheek.

"Um… What are you doing?" Hinata asks.

"Making sure you were still breathing," he mutters, pulling away from her.

"O-oh." Hinata's head feels like it is full of cotton. She tries to process what Sasuke's just said as she sits up, slowly, in bed. The sharp, burning pain is gone. Now, her body just feels like a beat-up lump of clay. Every inch of her aches.

"Of course she's still breathing, Sasuke-kun," comes a clipped, female voice. "I _told_ you she was fine."

"She almost _died—_" Sasuke snarls, but Sakura bursts into the room and interrupts him.

"And now she's _fine,_ thanks to Tsunade-sama." Sakura scowls at her teammate, then turns to Hinata with a saccharine-sweet smile. "How are you feeling?"

"T-terrible." Hinata blinks up at Sakura. "I almost d-died?"

"Don't listen to him," Sakura growls, glaring pointedly at Sasuke. "You're fine. Sasuke would be fine too if he deigned to take a hospital bed—"

"I don't need one," Sasuke snaps back.

Hinata looks between them, then closes her eyes. If she thinks hard enough, she is sure she can remember what happened. She has vague thoughts that there was a fire at the okiya, but that doesn't feel quite right.

"Where is Karin?" Hinata manages, breaking into their argument. "Where is my oneesan?"

Sasuke and Sakura share a look. "Your oneesan will come to visit you as soon as she can," Sakura says, looking down and away from Hinata's inquisitive gaze. "She's…with Orochimaru."

_Orochimaru._

Everything comes back to Hinata in a rush. She falls back against the pillows with a moan. Sasuke shouts her name, but she can't hear him over the roar of blood in her ears. Then she shakes her head, focusing on taking deep breaths as reality settles on her again like thick dust.

"What happened?" she whispers, recovering herself and feeling cold all over.

"We should let you rest—" Sakura beings, but Hinata cuts her off.

"No. Tell me what happened. All of it," Hinata demands, meeting Sasuke's eyes. It is silent for a long moment. Then Sasuke clears his throat.

"The Hokage is dead," Sasuke finally replies, his voice lacking any inflection. "Orochimaru escaped Konoha, along with Karin."

"Guren?"

"Dead," Sasuke replies in a hushed voice. And then, in an undertone: "But not before she killed twenty jonin."

Hinata pales at that, but forces herself to remain calm. "Temari?"

"Konoha had incapacitated the Root by the time Suna attacked. Without backup, Suna was easily defeated—but Suna took Temari with them when they retreated."

Hinata sits back up in bed, then leans her forehead into her hands. "…Naruto?"

"He's fine," Sakura chimes with forced cheerfulness.

"Physically," Sasuke adds with a scowl.

"Neji-niisan?"

Sasuke and Sakura share another look. Hinata's stomach coils with anxiety, when at last, Sakura says, "He's fine. He wanted to see you when you woke up. I'll go get him…" Sakura meets Hinata's eyes and smiles weakly, but when Hinata doesn't smile back, Sakura looks down and stays still, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She's hiding something, Hinata thinks.

There are so many questions Hinata wants to ask, but she cannot. It's like her brain is done thinking, and now, will no longer do her bidding. Slowly, and with great effort, Hinata asks: "…What happened to me?"

"It's those damn seals," Sasuke mutters, clutching his neck.

"You overused your power," Sakura says, placing a hand on Sasuke's arm. "But we got it under control. You'll be fine, now, as long as you don't try to activate your curse mark any more."

Hinata trembles, then nods her head. She doesn't see why she would activate it, now that Orochimaru is gone.

_Gone._

A cold shiver runs down Hinata's spine at those words. Orochimaru is gone. Now what will become of her? Hinata thinks. She stares down at her hands.

"I'll go get Neji, then," Sakura says nervously. Hinata catches Sakura's narrowed gaze, her pursed lips. Is she jealous? Hinata's eyes cloud in confusion. But then, another thought crosses her mind, and before Sakura can leave, Hinata clears her throat.

"A mirror," is all she says. She holds out her hands. "Please bring me a mirror."

"I don't think—" Sakura begins.

"Let her," Sasuke snaps. Sakura is about to protest, when Sasuke stares her down. She nods.

"I'll be right back," Sakura mumbles, slipping out of the room.

Hinata leans back, sighing against the pillows. Guren is dead, and her two sisters are gone: why doesn't Hinata feel one way or the other about it? She doesn't feel sad, or grief-stricken or…anything. Just…empty. She opens her eyes and stares up at the ceiling. She can see Sasuke from the corner of her vision, a monolithic silhouette, unmoving and silent.

"Why?" Hinata asks in a small voice, overcome by a strange feeling of deja vu.

"Why what?" Sasuke rumbles.

"Why…" She wants to ask why he's brought her back from the other world, but the words seem too strange. So instead, she asks, "Why did you want me to stay here…with you?" She tilts her head to see his reaction, but not a single one of his facial muscles so much as twitches.

"You've been in a coma for two weeks," Sasuke says at last, his voice betraying nothing.

"That doesn't answer my question." Hinata looks into his dark eyes, black as a night without moon or stars, black as the darkness on the other side of the world. She does not look away.

"I've sat here…beside you…for two weeks," he says.

Hinata scrunches up her face, disoriented, not quite sure what Sasuke is trying to say. Before she can question him, the door creaks open. Sakura edges in with that fake smile plastered to her face, followed by Neji.

Hinata gasps when she sees him. Neji's face is bruised and covered in oozing gashes. He leans heavily on a pair of crutches as he swings forward.

"Hinata-sama," he says with a bittersweet smile. A tear trickles down his cheek and lands on his hospital gown.

She smiles a lopsided grin. "I thought otousan forbid you from calling me that," she says, trying to make a joke. But instead of laughing, Neji looks stricken. Silence falls. Hinata's stomach clenches.

Finally, Neji clears his throat. "Let us…be alone…"

"Of course," Sakura gushes, glaring pointedly at Sasuke, who makes no sign of moving.

"I'd like Sasuke-danna to stay," Hinata whispers, staring down at her hands.

Sakura makes a muffled sound, like she is biting off an angry retort. Without a word, she gives Hinata a hand-mirror, face down. Then, she whirls around and closes the door behind her with a thud. Neji shuffles to the other side of Hinata's bed and sits down heavily, piling his crutches against the wall. He meets Hinata's inquisitive gaze.

"I'm glad you are well, Hinata-sama," he says, taking her hand.

Her mouth curves in a soft smile and she gives his hand a squeeze. "I feel about as miserable as you look," she jokes, though her tone holds little mirth. "But I'm alive…"

Hinata flips the mirror over in her free hand. It flashes with light from the window before it focuses on her face. _Alive…_ Peering into the mirror, Hinata sees that her lips are bruised and cracked. Her red-rimmed eyes have purple bags underneath them, and her skin is pale, pockmarked with black. She has no eyebrows, no eyelashes. She's not sure when she lost them.

Frowning, she looks higher and realizes that she no longer has any hair. She brings a trembling hand up to her head. A few stray tufts are still there, like a strange patchwork of black bristles, but other than that, it is all gone. Her memory flashes, and she realizes she must have lost it when pieces of the burning building fell on her—her lacquered hair must have burned quickly, in a flash. She hadn't noticed, at the time.

She flips the mirror over and raises her gaze to Neji, who is watching her without comment.

"Neji-niisan," she says, her voice wavering, "what did you want to t-tell me?"

"Hinata-sama…" He gives her hand another squeeze. "Your father, Hiashi…he's dead."

Hinata blinks. "Oh." She leans back against her pillows, staring down at her lap. She doesn't feel anything, she tells herself. She doesn't feel anything for the man who sold her into slavery—who never praised her. Never loved her.

"…Is Hanabi…?" Hinata rasps, still looking down at the covers.

"She's fine," Neji answers. "She's head of the Hyuga clan, now. She would like to reinstate you, if you…if you wanted."

Hinata is still and silent for what feels like a long time. "I'd l-like to b-be a-alone," she says at last, twisting the bedsheets in her hands.

Neji stumbles away, standing by the door for a moment before closing it behind him. Hinata realizes dimly that Sasuke has not moved from her side. She doesn't mind. She lets the hot tears fall down her cheeks, though she doesn't know who she is crying for. For Konoha? For Guren? For her father?

Her back shudders with sobs. She draws her hands up to her marred face. No, Hinata thinks, as her tears rain down onto her bedsheets. She's not crying for Guren, or for her father. She's weeping for herself.

Sasuke places two steady hands on her back, saying nothing. He doesn't need to, Hinata realizes with a start, hiccuping with sobs; his presence is enough.

He has answered her question.

* * *

_Seriously, you guys are the best. I can't thank you all individually today because of shitty internet problems, but just know I love and appreciate the heck out of ya. One more chapter left; will update as soon as I can!  
_

_Thank you for reading and please, review:)_


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